According to a CNN Money Article from 2-2-2012
Just one day after President Obama detailed a proposal to enable millions of homeowners to refinance to record-low mortgage rates, those rates notched another record.

The 30-year, fixed rate fell to an average of 3.87% and the 15-year fixed dropped to 3.14% for the week ending February 2, both the lowest rates ever recorded in the 40-year history of the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist at Freddie Mac said the rates fell to new lows after the fourth quarter gross domestic product report last week showed that the economy was growing at a rate that fell short of expectations.

The new record rates were “fortuitously timed” for the Obama administration to announce its latest refinancing proposal, said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.

The plan, which requires approval by Congress, would allow borrowers who are current on their mortgage to save an average of $3,000 a year by refinancing into loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration

To Apply for a mortgage Refinance or Purchase and take advantage of the low rates today, log on to our website http://www.zfgmortgage.com

There is no time like the present to make changes to your Oklahoma mortgage loan, changes that could save you hundreds of dollars this year. You may already realize that you can save a lot in interest by refinancing your loan into one with a lower rate, due to the historically low current mortgage rates. You may also know that if you have paid down your home balance and acquired 20% equity in your property, you can save hundreds by canceling your private mortgage insurance policy ”PMI”. If you have an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) that will be resetting this year, you may also know that refinancing into a fixed rate loan could save you from the impending “payment shock.” Even knowing all this, depending on your situation, there may be other valuable tips that can help you have a more productive mortgage this year.

If you do not have a fixed rate mortgage or a traditional ARM, you may have an option ARM loan that is not a very common loan in today’s mortgage market. This type of a loan allows you to decide between four different payment amounts each month for a certain amount of time. It may be tempting to stick with the lowest payment option, but if you can at all afford it, try to make the monthly payment that would allow you to pay off your mortgage in 30 years. If you can’t make that payment every time this year, at least try to make the interest-only payment during those months that you cannot make the 30-year payment option. If you consistently make the minimum payment option, not only will you be making no contribution to your loan’s principal, but you will not be covering the monthly interest charges and the negative balance gets added to your loan total. This means your loan balance is actually increases, instead of decreasing each time you make the minimum payment! With today’s real estate property values decreasing due to the high amount of foreclosures & un-employment, If you are planning on staying in your home for many more years you should consider simply refinancing into a 30 or 15 year fixed rate mortgage loan to avoid the temptation to make the minimum payment.

No matter what type of Oklahoma mortgage loan you have, it is often a good idea to make at least one extra payment to principle to further pay down the balance on your home loan. In fact, if you can consistently make one extra payment a year towards the principle balance on your loan, you will be able to pay off a 30-year mortgage loan in only 25 years, and in the process you will save yourself thousands in interest charges over the life of the loan.

Another tip is to consider the lifestyle changes you expect this year. If you are adding a new family member to your household this year, whether it be a new baby or an aging relative, you may need to get a cash-out refinance or a home equity loan in order to add on that new room or make necessary repairs or remodeling. If you have a child leaving for college this year or simply moving out, you may want to make a financial plan to throw more money toward your mortgage than you could have realistically done before. Another common reason that home owners obtain a cash-out mortgage refinance is to do some debt-consolidation mortgage.
These types of mortgages help homeowners lower their monthly bills by taking all of their current loans and rolling them into one. This means that multiple loans are replaced with a single loan and that single loan usually becomes due over a longer period of time at a lower interest rate, therefore lowering the amount due per month drastically. This also makes it easier for homeowners to keep track of their bills with one easy payment. If you have credit cards, a car loan, and a student loan, it can become difficult to keep track of due dates. After consolidating your loans you no longer have to worry about keeping track of multiple due dates as well.

Every homeowner’s mortgage situation is unique, but regardless of your particular home loan type, you should take some time to sit down and evaluate how your mortgage is working for you. Making some small changes may net you hundreds in savings this year!!

Call or Apply online if you would like more details on any of the loans discussed in this article.
918-459-6530
http://www.zfgmortgage.com

If you have been looking into buying a home or refinancing your current Mortgage in Oklahoma, you may have heard the term “15-year Mortgage” thrown around. While most Home Loans in Oklahoma are paid back over the course of 30 years, for those with the financial ability and budgeting skills, a 15-year fixed rate mortgage may be a much better option in the long run.

A 15-year loan is just what it sounds like: a home loan that must be repaid back within a 15 year period. It has a interest rate that is fixed throughout the course of the loan. Because it has to be repaid twice as fast as a 30-year mortgage, the monthly payments will be greater on a 15-year loan.

While this may sound too expensive for you to afford, you should realize that because the loan is shorter, you will be able to obtain a lower interest rate on the 15-year mortgage than you would on a 30-year mortgage in Oklahoma. This means you will pay less interest over the life of the loan since the term is shorter and because of the lower rate. This lower rate may help offset the higher monthly mortgage cost, but in most cases even with the rate decrees the monthly payment on the 15 years is higher.

For example, let’s compare the difference in payments and interest between a 30-year $100,000 fixed rate loan at 4.5% and a 15-year $100,000 fixed rate loan at 3.875%. For the 30-year loan, your monthly payment would be $506.94. You would pay $733.44 a month with a 15-year loan. In terms of interest over the course of the loan, with the 30-year loan you would end up paying $82,404, whereas you would only pay $32,192 in interest with a 15-year loan. That is a savings of $50,212!

Plus you would own your home free and clear at the end of those 15 years. Can you imagine the freedom? What would it be like to have no more monthly mortgage payments? For some, the savings benefit is definitely worth the higher monthly payment.

Consider another benefit: With a fifteen-year Oklahoma mortgage loan you will be building the home equity much quicker than you would with a 30-year loan. This is because your initial payments go mostly to interest, but because the interest on a 15-year loan is so much lower and the payments you are making are greater, more of your money goes toward paying down the principal balance thus increasing your equity. If you decide to sell the house before your fifteen years are up, you will have more equity to put towards your next purchase.

Perhaps you might think that you could do just as well by taking out a 30-year mortgage and making an additional $225 payment to principle each month. This is an option to consider for borrowers that don’t want to be obligated to make a higher payment each month. While this option won’t give you the ability to pay off the loan in exactly 15 years it will get you close, in most cases the home would be paid off in 17 to18 years if you followed the extra payment schedule for the life of the loan. But doing it this will not get you a lower interest rate, and the savings won’t be as significant over the life of the loan.

If you think this Oklahoma mortgage program sounds like a good fit for your needs, talk with a mortgage professional to discuss your options. For as much as you would save, it is definitely worth exploring!

Call or Apply online Today http://www.zfgmortgage.com
918-459-6530