One way
to simplify your monthly bills is to combine your first and second
mortgages together into one loan.
Combining first and second mortgages into one loan
can makes sense financially but not in all cases. Speak to an
experienced loan officer to find out if it is in your best interests to
combine the two mortgages.
It would also be important if you are paying off
other bills to check the amount of money you will be saving over the
long run. Do a breakeven analysis to accomplish this.
First mortgages will always have a lower interest
rate than second mortgages. Combining your first and second mortgage
into a new first mortgage will help you lower your monthly payment.
Your rate can sometimes be lower as well if you have gained equity in
your house.
Combining your two mortgage loans into one
sometimes will not provide you with the best financing options
available. Many times when you combine a first and a second mortgage
loan together it will be considered a cash out refinance instead of a
rate and term refinance and there is generally a rate bump associated
with this unless your Loan to Value, LTV is below 70%. Consult a
mortgage professional to see if it makes sense for you to combine your
2 loans into one or if it might make better sense to simply refinance
your 1st and 2nd mortgage separately. An experienced mortgage broker
can structure the loan so that it benefits as much as possible.
If you have one loan that is 80% LTV (Loan to
Value)or higher, then the Lender may require that you pay mortgage
insurance. This is why, in such instances, that your mortgage broker
may recommend that you finance both a first and second mortgage. With
the entire loan amount split into two seperate loans, mortgage
insurance can often be avoided, however, the second mortgage rate is
almost always significantly higher than the first mortgage rate. The
rate of the second mortgage in such cases has a less drastic effect
than rate of the much larger first mortgage, because the loan amount
for that second mortgage is far less than the first mortgage.
Often times a borrower will combine not only their
1st and 2nd mortgage, but other bills as well in a total debt
consolidation loan. This can usually save the borrower a lot of money
each month over their previous monthly bills.