If you’ve never bought a house before, you’re undoubtedly shocked by all the terminology you’ve been exposed to. A fixed-rate or an adjustable-rate mortgage are both options. It can have a term of 15, 30, or even a different length. And a whole lot more!
It appears that you must choose the mortgage type that is best for you. However, you must first understand the fundamentals of what fixed-rate mortgages are and how they operate to decide whether one is right for you.
A Fixed-Rate Mortgage: What Is It?
A home loan option known as a fixed-rate mortgage has an agreed-upon interest rate for the duration of the loan. In essence, the mortgage’s interest rate won’t vary during the loan, and the borrower will continue to make the same monthly principal and interest payments.
Even changes in the market will not affect the rate with this kind of mortgage. These house loans are the most often used mortgages in the United States as a result.
Start now
Current Rates
30-Year Fixed* Loan Option Rate/APR: 7.25%/7.56%
These rates are valid as of August 10, 2023, 8:47 PM UTC *Legal Disclosures
You could save a lot of money if you buy or sell a house. 2, 3 Using Rocket alone.
Get a 1.5% closing credit from Rocket Mortgage up to $10,000 when you purchase with Rocket HomesSM and Rocket MortgageR. Get a 1% refund when you sell with Rocket Homes. Get both and do both!
The Purchase
Receive up to $10K.
I’m Offering
Receive 1% back.
I’m Purchasing And Offering
Get the two deals.
Continue to seek a house?
Look for Homes
Let us assist you in locating a new residence.
NMLS #3030
How Fixed-Rate Lending Operates
The name says it all when it comes to fixed-rate mortgages.
When you take up one of these mortgages, your interest rate won’t change throughout the loan. The interest rate is fixed, in other words.
Benefits And Drawbacks Of Fixed-Rate Mortgages
For many good reasons, fixed-rate mortgages constitute the backbone of the mortgage market.
Start the process of finding the ideal mortgage.
Online requests for professional advice with accurate interest rates and payments are accepted.
I Want To Buy A House I Want To Refinance Expert: Budgeting Is Simple With Consistent Payments
A fixed-rate mortgage’s key advantage is that your monthly payment won’t change throughout the loan. When you have a fixed-rate mortgage, the amount you pay toward the principal and interest portion of the loan won’t change.
There is only one catch: your payments will adjust to reflect your new expenditures if your home insurance premium or property taxes increase or decrease. Although such elements are outside your lender’s control, you will probably pay for them as part of your monthly mortgage payments. When those extra costs become due, your lender will keep them in an escrow account and pay them on your behalf. This simplifies your life and avoids missing insurance or property tax payments, which could cause you a lot of stress.
Pro: Your Loan Is Fully Amortized During The Mortgage Term
You’ll come across the word amortization when you learn more about fixed-rate mortgages. Mortgage loans often have a predetermined timeframe within which they must be repaid. For instance, if you have a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, your loan will be completely paid off after 30 years of regular payments. You will know exactly how much interest you will pay for the duration of your loan because your rate is fixed. Additionally, you benefit from reduced payments compared to the size of your initial mortgage thanks to the 30-year mortgage term.
An Example of How Amortization Works
In the initial years of making mortgage payments, the principal (the original loan amount) will receive less of your payment while the interest will. Let’s take the example of a fixed-rate loan with a $800 monthly payment. You’ll pay the whole $800 when you initially start paying down your mortgage, but $750 of that may go toward interest while only $50 is applied to the principal. The sum does, however, fluctuate as the loan life progresses. You might at some point make an equal payment for principal and interest. You’ll be paying largely principal and very little interest by the time your loan’s amortization plan is up; for instance, let’s say you pay $750 toward the principal and just $50 in interest.
Con: You’ll Pay A Little More Up Front Fixed-rate mortgages have rates that are higher than the initial rates offered by adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs; see below). For the assurance that your interest rate will remain low for the duration of your loan repayment, you’re willing to spend a little bit more.
How long are the terms of a fixed-rate mortgage?
The term of a loan describes how long you will have to repay it. The most popular loan terms for fixed-rate mortgages are 15 and 30 years; each has advantages and disadvantages.
Thirty-year fixed
Mortgages with fixed rates for 30 years are the most common choice for borrowers. Even if there are a few unusual exceptions, the longer the mortgage term you choose, the somewhat higher rate you’ll obtain, you can keep your monthly payments low because the loan period is long. Although choosing a short-term mortgage can save borrowers money on interest, 30-year loans are frequently the most cost-effective choice for individuals who are more concerned with limiting their monthly housing expenditures than the overall costs during the loan’s duration.
When considering a 30-year mortgage term, ask yourself which is more important: making smaller monthly payments or paying off your loan sooner and accruing less interest overall. Utilizing our mortgage calculator, you can verify this.
Fixed 15 Years
In comparison to a 30-year term, choosing a 15-year mortgage term will result in significant interest cost savings. In addition to often having lower interest rates than 30-year loans, 15-year loans also have shorter amortization periods, which means you’ll pay less money overall. This is true even if the interest rate for a 15-year loan and a 30-year loan were the same. Let’s examine an illustration of this.
By The Numbers: 30-Year Fixed Versus 15-Year Fixed
Let’s say you obtain a $200,000 mortgage at a 4% interest rate. Throughout the loan, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will cost you about $143,739 in interest. Consider the identical scenario but with a 15-year loan instead of a 30-year one. The total amount of interest paid throughout a 15-year loan will be about $66,288. In this illustration, it is assumed that the interest rate on both loans is 4%. The 15-year loan will have a lower interest rate than the 30-year loan (due to the shorter loan term). As a result, you would pay considerably less interest than what we’ve illustrated here.
The 15-year seems to be the logical decision, right? Wait a minute. Don’t forget to take your monthly payment into account. Due to the 15-year loan’s shorter time for mortgage repayment, your monthly payment on the 15-year loan would be approximately $1,479, without taxes and insurance. Your monthly payment under the 30-year loan would be $955, which is much less expensive.
The 15-year mortgage can be a better option if you can afford the higher payments and are more concerned with accumulating equity and paying off your house quickly. It simply depends on what you can comfortably afford. If you’re unsure, it’s wise to select the loan that gives you the greatest financial flexibility and make additional principal payments.
Other Terms for Fixed-Rate Mortgages
Other fixed-rate loan options may be available, depending on the lender, and may better suit your requirements. You might prefer a loan that strikes a compromise between the affordability of a 30-year term and the advantages of a 15-year loan in terms of interest savings. Though they are not as frequently mentioned as the 15- or 30-year terms, 20-year periods are another well-liked choice for borrowers.
The finest part comes afterward. You are free to choose a fixed-rate period that satisfies your financial objectives. Fixed-rate loans are available from Rocket Mortgage with terms ranging from 8 to 30 years.
What Are The Differences Between Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) And Fixed-Rate Mortgages?
Several distinct considerations will determine whether you should choose a fixed-rate mortgage or an ARM.
With an ARM, you may pay a reduced interest rate for a shorter amount of time during the introductory period. Your ARM’s rate may change after the fixed-rate introductory period, depending on the state of the market.
ARMs carry some risk. With an ARM, you run the danger of higher interest rates, which would result in higher monthly interest payments. You might be placing a winning wager if you apply for a mortgage when interest rates are high. However, if mortgage rates are low, a fixed-rate mortgage is generally a better option for you.
ARMs are at first less expensive. Generally speaking, fixed-rate mortgages have a little bit higher rates than ARMs. However, after the ARM’s reduced introductory rate term expires, your rate can rise, which would result in higher monthly payments. On the other side, you can end up saving even more with an ARM if rates decrease when your ARM is adjusted.
If you don’t intend to live in the house for a long time, ARMs can make sense. Particularly if you don’t intend to live in your house for an extended period, an ARM’s low introductory rate may be quite alluring. Usually, for the first 5, 7, or 10 years that you hold the loan, your introductory rate is fixed. An ARM can help you save money if you plan to sell your home before your rate increases. Additionally, if interest rates are currently high, an ARM may enable you to obtain a lower rate.
Do You Need A Fixed-Rate Mortgage?
Fixed-rate mortgages are excellent for stability, as we’ve seen. A fixed-rate loan can make a lot of sense if you don’t want to worry about your monthly payments altering in the future. When interest rates are low, as they are right now, they may also be a wise decision.