What is refinancing a mortgage? (2024)

FAQs

What is refinancing a mortgage? ›

Refinancing your mortgage replaces your old mortgage with a new mortgage; one with a different principal amount and interest rate. The lender pays off the old mortgage with the new one and you are then left with just one mortgage; typically one with more favorable terms (lower interest rate) than your previous one.

Refinancing the mortgage on your house means you're essentially trading in your current mortgage for a newer one – often with a new principal and a different interest rate. Your lender then uses the newer mortgage to pay off the old one, so you're left with just one loan and one monthly payment.

In some cases, refinancing is a wise decision. In others, it may not be worth it. Refinancing is generally easier than securing a loan as a first-time buyer because you already own the property. If you have owned your property or house for a long time and built up significant equity, refinancing will be even easier.

Borrowers usually refinance in order to receive lower interest rates or otherwise reduce their repayment amount. For debtors struggling to pay off their loans, refinancing can also be used to get a longer-term loan with lower monthly payments.

Loan starts over: You'll be replacing your current mortgage loan—and any time you have left until it's paid off—with a brand new mortgage. Depending on how long you've had your current mortgage and how long your new mortgage will last, you're likely extending the amount of years you'll be making mortgage payments.

Refinancing will hurt your credit score a bit initially, but might actually help in the long run. Refinancing can significantly lower your debt amount and/or your monthly payment, and lenders like to see both of those. Your score will typically dip a few points, but it can bounce back within a few months.

With a cash-out refinance, you get a new home loan for more than you currently owe on your house. The difference between that new mortgage amount and the balance on your previous mortgage goes to you at closing in cash, which you can spend on home improvements, debt consolidation or other financial needs.

Refinance closing costs commonly run between 2% and 6% of the loan principal. For example, if you're refinancing a $225,000 mortgage balance, you can expect to pay between $4,500 and $13,500. Like purchase loans, mortgage refinancing carries standard fees, such as origination fees and multiple third-party charges.

As a rule of thumb, experts often say that it's not usually worth it to refinance unless your interest rate drops by at least 0.5% to 1%. But that may not be true for everyone. Refinancing for a 0.25% lower rate could be worth it if: You are switching from an adjustable-rate mortgage to a fixed-rate mortgage.

What is not a good reason to refinance? ›

Key Takeaways

Don't refinance if you have a long break-even period—the number of months to reach the point when you start saving. Refinancing to lower your monthly payment is great unless you're spending more money in the long-run.

Legally, there isn't a limit on how many times you can refinance your home loan. However, mortgage lenders do have a few mortgage refinance requirements you'll need to meet each time you apply for a loan, and some special considerations are important to note if you want a cash-out refinance.

You can refinance your home as often as it makes financial sense. If you're cashing out, you may have to wait six months between refis.

Conventional refinance: For conventional refinances (including cash-out refinances), you'll usually need at least 20 percent equity in your home (or an LTV ratio of no more than 80 percent).

You can't get a lower interest rate: If your goal is to reduce your interest costs, right now isn't the best time to refinance. You're likely to end up with a higher rate, plus you'll need to cover closing costs on your new mortgage.

A refinance takes 30 to 45 days to complete in most cases, but it could always require more or less time depending on a variety of factors. For example, appraisals, inspections and other services that third parties handle can slow down the process.

Securing a lower interest rate through a refinance reduces your cost of borrowing so you'll pay less on your personal loan overall. Refinancing to a longer loan term offers lower minimum monthly payments. You will likely pay more toward the loan overall by extending the repayment timeline due to interest charges.

In a cash-out refinance, a new mortgage is taken out for more than your previous mortgage balance, and the difference is paid to you in cash. You usually pay a higher interest rate or more points on a cash-out refinance mortgage compared to a rate-and-term refinance, in which a mortgage amount stays the same.

A rate-and-term refinance is a new mortgage that is the same size as the old one (the outstanding balance, that is). It only adjusts your interest rate and the loan's term length. In contrast, a cash-out refinance is a new loan for a larger sum than the old.

If you refinance to the same term as your original mortgage, you're further extending the time you have to pay off the loan, meaning your monthly payment will go down. And if you can refinance the loan with a lower interest rate, your monthly payment could go down even more.