A debt consolidation refinance is when a borrower uses the
equity in his/her house to consolidate some or all of their existing debt by
refinancing their current mortgage.
When analysing the benefits of a debt consolidation refinance you should factor
in the amount of time and money it will take you to pay off those credit
accounts with your current payment schedule.
Many times by consolidating debt through a refinance a borrower is able to not
only save money from their total monthly expenses but they are able to reduce
their mortgage rate and term also. Such as changing from a 30 year to a 20 year
mortgage or a 20 year to a 15 year mortgage. This can not only save a lot of
money in mortgage interest by cutting years off of your mortgage but it can
many times save money monthly still.
When a homeowner applies for a mortgage, the lender bank evaluates the
applicant's repayment capability by dividing the total monthly obligation by
his income. The result of the Debt-to-Income Ratio qualifies/disqualifies the
applicant. When a homeowner applies for a Debt-Consolidation loan, the payments
for the debts to be paid off at closing are not included in the DTI Ratio.
By using the equity in your home to pay down high interest credit cards you can
possibly save your family hundreds of dollars per month. You also benifit by
being able to deduct your mortgage interest. You should seek the advice of a
mortgage broker before proceeding with your refinance to ensure you are matched
to the right loan program.
Remember that the interest one pays on their mortgage is generally tax
deductible while the interest on your personal debt is not. This is a great
item to keep in mind when looking to do a debt consolidation refinance.
When considering a debt consolidation refinance you should look at your short
and long term financial goals. Paying high interest bearing credit accounts
with your mortgage will often times save you thousands over time.
Sometimes a debt consolidation refinance may cause your total mortgage payment
to increase. This is because you will be borrowing more money, to pay off the
debt. Don't worry though, because if you are paying $400 in credit card debt
every month and your mortgage payments increase by $200. You will still be
saving $200 every month!
While some say that there is good debt and bad, it could be argued whether any
debt could really be considered "good". One thing is fairly certain, unsecured
consumer debt and credit card debt in particular is the worst kind of debt one
can take on. There are usually strong financial benefits to consolidating such
debt into your home mortgage.
If you are currently making the minumum credit card payments, then it may take
you several years to pay them off. This is considering that you continue to
make those same minimum paymments throughout the life of the debt. If you were
to do a debt consolidation, you could have that debt paid off within a matter
of weeks.
Debt consolidation refinancing is the practice of moving short-term debt, into
a home refinance loan. At closing any debts that have been chosen and listed
will be paid from funds, above what is necessary to pay off the original
mortgage balance.