When searching for your best option for financing a new purchase, refinancing, or remodeling your home, numerous options and a long list of different programs tend to overwhelm.
Team Mortgage Company will help you to understand all of your available options so that you can be confident in your final decision, and as such we’ve highlighted several of the most common programs offered today. Each loan program posses unique characteristics, so consult one of our expert Grand Rapids mortgage professionals for more information and details on each program available to you.
To help determine the best loan program for you, consider the following chart:
| Loan Programs | Characteristics |
| 15- and 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgages | ● Interest rate does not change.
● Principal and interest (P & I) does not change. ● Fixed-rate mortgages fully amortize over a defined period of time and are paid in-full at the end of the loan term. ● Different loan terms are available (15- and 30-year terms are most popular). ● The shorter the term, the faster equity is built and the loan is paid off. |
| Fixed-Rate Balloons | ● P & I payment and interest rate do not change.
● Regular monthly P & I payments are based on 30-year amortization, while the unpaid balance (balloon) is due at the end of a shorter, predetermined term, typically 5, 7 or 10 years. ● Interest rate is typically less than fixed-rate loans. ● Most borrowers anticipate refinancing or selling prior to the end of the balloon term. |
| Fixed-Rate with Temporary Buydown | ● Borrowers or the seller may pay to temporarily “buy down,” or lower, the interest rate.
● Decreased interest rate reduces the monthly payment. ● Lower interest rate may help borrowers qualify more easily; qualifying factors may vary. ● Interest rate/payment is typically reduced for 1, 2 or 3 years |
| Interest-Only Mortgages | ● There are no reductions to the principal amount.
● There is no provision for negative amortization. ● Payments may increase up to an amortized amount, but the loan balance itself does not increase. ● Generally, interest-only payments are limited to the first 5, 10 or 15 years of the loan. ● After that, the loan is amortized for the remainder of its term |
| Adjustable-Rate Mortgages (ARMs) | ● Interest rate / payment may fluctuate.
● ARMs transfer to borrowers a portion of the risk associated with a changing economy. ● In exchange for sharing the risk, ARMs offer borrowers initial interest rates that are substantially lower than fixed-rate mortgages. ● The lower interest rate may help borrowers qualify more easily; qualifying factors may vary. |
For more information about Grand Rapids mortgage loan programs from the experts at Team Mortgage Company, contact us here or call us at 616.974.9710.
