Posted on: 26th Oct, 2012 09:16 am
I am asking for quotes on a 15 year fixed (refinancing) and have a broker suggesting I do not want a quote at zero points or one point. Explanation is below.
The other two brokers I've gotten quotes from both quoted at zero and 1 point, so I'm curious if anyone has experience with this, or if the below explanation makes sense. It is a bit confusing to me.
[color=Red:f13bc79dff]
"Since the closing costs are already included in the loan amount, I wouldn’t add them back to your total costs. I think a better way to look at would be to adjust the loan amount by the difference in points and then calculate your 180 months. That, of course, assumes that you keep the loan for the full 15 years and you never pay more than the minimum payment.
As for the rate quote, it doesn’t really work out to have a zero point quote or a 1 point quote due to the rate/point spreads. For instance, I could quote you zero points but the rate today would be 3.125. I would be doing a disservice to you if I quoted or have you take that rate. The 3.00% with .125% is the way to go. The spread of .125% less up front (.125 cost to zero points) for .125% in rate doesn’t make any sense. Your breakeven would be in about a year. The same goes for the one point quote. Today the rate options would be 2.875 with 0.50% or 2.75 with 1.375% (these can change with the market). That spread also does not make a lot of sense. That’s .875% for an .125% in rate. We normally like to see about a .50% cost to .125% in rate. That said, the better option would be the 2.875% with ½ point. Even though the numbers may work out for the lower rate option, it would take a long time for the lower rate option to show those savings. If it’s too long of a period, the numbers will be subject to change due to various life events.
Does that make sense?"[/color:f13bc79dff]
The other two brokers I've gotten quotes from both quoted at zero and 1 point, so I'm curious if anyone has experience with this, or if the below explanation makes sense. It is a bit confusing to me.
[color=Red:f13bc79dff]
"Since the closing costs are already included in the loan amount, I wouldn’t add them back to your total costs. I think a better way to look at would be to adjust the loan amount by the difference in points and then calculate your 180 months. That, of course, assumes that you keep the loan for the full 15 years and you never pay more than the minimum payment.
As for the rate quote, it doesn’t really work out to have a zero point quote or a 1 point quote due to the rate/point spreads. For instance, I could quote you zero points but the rate today would be 3.125. I would be doing a disservice to you if I quoted or have you take that rate. The 3.00% with .125% is the way to go. The spread of .125% less up front (.125 cost to zero points) for .125% in rate doesn’t make any sense. Your breakeven would be in about a year. The same goes for the one point quote. Today the rate options would be 2.875 with 0.50% or 2.75 with 1.375% (these can change with the market). That spread also does not make a lot of sense. That’s .875% for an .125% in rate. We normally like to see about a .50% cost to .125% in rate. That said, the better option would be the 2.875% with ½ point. Even though the numbers may work out for the lower rate option, it would take a long time for the lower rate option to show those savings. If it’s too long of a period, the numbers will be subject to change due to various life events.
Does that make sense?"[/color:f13bc79dff]
Hi lmark,
If you pay points on your mortgage, it will help you reduce the overall cost of your monthly mortgage payment. This is because you are paying the points upfront. Points are paid ahead of time and are designed to be the amount of your mortgage interest. If you pay points, you pay a one time fee to reduce the initial interest rate on your loan. One point is equal to one percent of your total loan amount. You should note here that if you are planning to live in the property for a long period of time, then paying points at the beginning of your loan term can be important as it can help you save a good amount over the life of your loan.
If you pay points on your mortgage, it will help you reduce the overall cost of your monthly mortgage payment. This is because you are paying the points upfront. Points are paid ahead of time and are designed to be the amount of your mortgage interest. If you pay points, you pay a one time fee to reduce the initial interest rate on your loan. One point is equal to one percent of your total loan amount. You should note here that if you are planning to live in the property for a long period of time, then paying points at the beginning of your loan term can be important as it can help you save a good amount over the life of your loan.