Is An Adjustable Rate Mortgage Right For You? Five Things to Remember

Whether you are refinancing your home, or buying your first home, there are so many financing options to consider. Sometimes it can get confusing trying to understand your choices. Adjustable rate mortgages often seem hard to understand, and loan officers sometimes speak in big terminology. Here is a simple guide to adjustable rate mortgages (five things to remember), to help you decide if this option would be good for you.

1. Remember that adjustable rate mortgages are riskier. Your rate is not locked in like a traditional mortgage, so your payment could vary a lot.

2. An adjustable rate mortgage rate will be initially lower. Because the rates change frequently an adjustable rate mortgage will often start out at a rate as low as 2 percentage points below the rates for a traditional 30 year mortgage.

3. An adjustable rate mortgage may be a good idea if rates are expected to fall. If mortgage rates are expected to rise, you may not want to consider this option.

4. If you are planning to move within the next few years, an adjustable rate mortgage may be a good idea. You will get an initially lower rate, and won't have to worry as much about what happens if rates rise. However, read through your contract carefully, as some lenders may impose a fee for paying off the loan early.

5. All adjustable rate mortgages have a cap on how much the interest rate can be raised over the life of the loan. In other words, you don't have to worry about the rate being unfairly high.

Adjustable rate mortgages have some great benefits, and may be the best way to go in certain situations. Don't rule them out until you have talked to a loan officer and considered all your options.