July 25, 2008

15 Year Mortgage, Is It Right For You!

by John Bottel

When considering their monthly repayments, many people considering buying a home look into 30 year or 15 year fixed mortgage rates. No-one wants a mortgage hanging around their neck forever but with home buyers entering the market later, an early repayment of this loan is important. It may take some time to reach a decision as there are many things to contemplate. Ensuring the repayment remains the same throughout the mortgage term is very important.

It is always wise to avoid agreements that do not appear to have any negative aspects because they invariably have but are hidden. Interest rates should remain the same throughout the life of the loan for 15 year fixed rate mortgages.

If you are someone that wants a loan with a regular fixed repayment and no additional charges then this is the main benefit with this type of agreement. My wife and I looked into the loans available with 15 year fixed mortgage rates when we were searching for a home for sale.

Having a realistic, sustainable monthly payment on our mortgage was important even though we wanted to pay off our debt as soon as possible. This meant we had to consider 30 year fixed rate mortgage plans as well as those of 15 years.

Still, having a mortgage close to retirement was not what we were looking for, so we decided to try for a loan with a 15 year fixed mortgage. There was obviously very good reasons to finish paying the loan off early.

We thought about it long and hard and despite the pressure we decided to go with the 30 year loan plan. There were many things that lead us into making this choice. It was easier reaching this conclusion when I learned that my wife was expecting a baby.

My wife decided she wanted to raise our child at home so I could not be certain of her monthly financial commitment to our household expenses. The downside to the 15 year fixed mortgage rate was the higher monthly repayment. We just decided we would probably get into trouble if we took this route. A thirty year loan brought the monthly payments down to a reasonable level.

We found that if we could make a few extra payments throughout each year then it would gradually reduce the principle sum owed. It is possible to take years off your loan if you can make a few extra payments during each year. This may be difficult but well worth the effort in the a few years down the line. Our desire for a 15 year fixed rate mortgage was second place to our more immediate needs. Things worked out well anyway, even though we were unsure about it to start with.

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Filed under Home Loans by James Lenn

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