Mortgage & Refinancing Information

Home Mortgages: Does It Ever Make Sense to Pay Points?


Interest rates on home mortgages are often quoted with and without points. A point equals one percent of the amount you are financing. This means that on a $150,000 mortgage, one point is $1500.00 and two points would be $3,000. These points are in addition to whatever other closing costs you might have.

I checked interest rates today in our state for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and found a number of companies offering mortgages with no points. Here are a few examples (payment and interest only - no taxes or insurance).

0 Points 5.625 percent interest, $863 per month payment

0 Points, 5.750 percent interest, $875 per month payment

0 Points, 6.250 percent interesxt, $924 per month payment

Now, let's compare these with mortgages requiring points.

1 Point, 5.250 percent interest rate, $826 per month payment

2 Points 5.0 percent interest rate, $805 per month payment

2 Points, 5.125 percent interest rate, $817 per month payment

What this makes clear is that there is an inverse ratio between the number of points charged by the lender and the interest rate on the mortgage. In other words, the more points you pay, the less your interest rate will be. This means that when you pay points you are basically buying down your interest rate and, thus, your monthly payment. In fact, one point is usually equal to Ľ percent in the interest rate. So, as you can see from these charts, paying two points on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage could save you as much as $50 a month or $600 a year.

So doesn't it make sense to always pay points?

Not necessarily.

The important thing in deciding whether or not to pay points is the number of years you intend to stay in that house before you either refinance or buy another. Do the math and you will see that the longer you intend to stay in that house, the more sense it makes to pay points.

Let's go back to that two point example where the interest rate is an even five percent and the monthy payment $805. If your best deal in a no-points mortgage is 5.625 percent, yielding a payment of $863, then paying two points will save you $58 a month or $696.00 a year.

However, you must remember that on a $150,000 mortgage, two points equals $3,000. So you would need to say in that house for almost 4.5 years in order to just break even on the cost of the points.

So in answer to the question, should you pay points, the answer is a a strong maybe. If you intend to stay in the same house for seven or ten years, the answer is probably "yes." If you believe you will refinance or sell the home in less than four years, the answer is that you will be money ahead to skip the points and pay the higher interest rate.

For FREE help with debt and credit, subscribe today to Douglas Hanna's free email newsletter "8 Simple Steps to Debt Relief" at http://www.all-in-one-info.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Mortgage Refinance Options to Think About
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 26, 2008
Mortgage refinance options are always available no matter what type of mortgage you already have in place on the home you are living in. ...


What’s A Divorce Got to Do with Your Mortgage Refinance?
Corsavoo.com, France - Aug 25, 2008
When you’re the aggrieved partner, you silently wish that things will suddenly take a better turn, especially with an unpaid mortgage. Refinance plans have ...


Taking Home Mortgage Loans
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 25, 2008
... you find your exact Loans and Credit Cards. Visit us now to get your Free Mortgage Refinance Loans Quotes Get your free report on Guaranteed Credit Cards.


Housing Bill: A Step Toward Repairing the Damage
MarketWatch - Jul 30, 2008
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Today President Bush signed into law a housing bill passed by Congress aimed at stabilizing ...
Housing Help WWMT
Housing bill puts taxpayers on the hook Battle Creek Enquirer
Housing experts: Bill will offer relief WKTV
KOLD-TV - San Jose Mercury News
all 121 news articles


Area last in state in home prices
Toledo Blade, OH - Aug 27, 2008
By JON CHAVEZ The Toledo metro area was the worst spot in Ohio for home prices and mortgage refinance values in the past year, dropping nearly 4 percent. ...


MLive.com

Family's money woes center on the house
MLive.com, MI - Aug 2, 2008
File: Leisa Thompson, The Ann Arbor NewsJay and Betty Jahnke: Still worried about their mortgage payment and tuition bills for their daughter. ...


Refinance your Home Loan and Get Extra Cash
Corsavoo.com, France - Aug 23, 2008
There are online sites offering access to a complete and up-to-date list of lenders dealing with mortgage refinance and this will make the process a lot ...


openPR (press release)

Hartford Title Enters into Partnership with Penner Law Firm to ...
openPR (press release), Germany - Aug 26, 2008
... Hartford National Title will continue to offer its real estate closing services for mortgage refinance transactions throughout all 50 states. ...


Borrowers feel fallout from mortgage giants' woes
Salt Lake Tribune, United States - Aug 20, 2008
By Alan Zibel AP Jeff Jaye, a mortgage broker in Northern California, used to rely on homeowners looking to refinance their loans for more than two-thirds ...


Ask the Biz Brain
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com, NJ - Aug 11, 2008
I have a pre-payment penalty on my mortgage loan for three years. I'd like to refinance sooner. Is there a way a lender can waive the penalty? ...

Mortgage-Refinance - Google News

home | site map
© 2006