Scott Kinne First Heritage Mortgage

Scott Kinne's Mortgage information Blog

  • About Scott
  • Testimonials
  • Resources
    • First Time Home Buyer Tips
    • First Time Home Seller Tips
    • Closing Costs
    • Home Appraisal
    • Home Inspection
    • Affordable Credit Repair
    • Interest Rates
    • Loan Programs
    • Loan Process
    • Loan Checklist
    • Mortgage Glossary
    • Mortgage FAQ
  • Main Website
  • Contact
  • Apply

Why Now’s A Good Time To Consider An Adjustable Rate Mortgage

August 6, 2009 by Scott Kinne

Comparing the 5-year ARM to the 30-year fixed rate mortgage since November 2008At least one thing is back to normal in the mortgage markets — it’s no longer cheaper to go with a fixed rate mortgage than an ARM.

As reported by Freddie Mac, a conforming 5-year ARM is priced a half-percent lower than a comparable 30-year fixed.

Earlier this year, the pricing was reversed.

It’s uncommon for fixed rate mortgages to be cheaper than comparable ARMs because, with fixed rate mortgages, lenders commit to a particular interest rate over long period of time. There is a lot of risk that comes with doing that.

By contrast, an adjustable rate mortgage is designed so that after a certain number of years, the mortgage rate changes to reflect the current market conditions.

In theory, ARMs are less risky for lenders than are fixed rate mortgages and, therefore, we would expect them to have lower mortgage rates. That wasn’t the case for the 6 months ending in early-May, however. When fixed rate mortgages were scraping the 4.500 percent marker in January, 5-year ARMs weren’t struggling to stay sub-5.

The same goes for late-April’s mortgage rate dip.

Historically, there’s been a trade-off between ARMs and fixed rate mortgages.

  • ARMs give lower mortgage rates with less predictability
  • FRMs give higher mortgage rates with more predictability

Earlier this year, market conditions rendered fixed rate loans the best of both worlds — lower rates and predictability. Today, we’re back to “normal”.

No matter how long you plan to live in your home, talk to your loan officer about your adjustable rate options, if only to know your options. Given today’s interest rate disparity and how it can affect your monthly mortgage obligation, you may find the unpredictable nature of an ARM to be acceptable risk.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Scott Kinne

Contact Scott

Vice President, Senior Loan Officer
NMLS ID #182351
Office: 703.293.6146
Mobile: 571.237.6241
Fax: 571.317.2478
skinne@fhmtg.com

Licensed In Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia
  LOAN APPLICATION
  FREE RATE QUOTE

Connect with Me!

Sign Up For My Free Newsletter

Categories

Recent Posts

  • S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices: Home Prices Fall In November
  • Is It Worth It to Put More Than 20 Percent Down?
  • What You Need To Know About A Closed-End Second Mortgage
  • What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – January 30, 2023
Equal Housing Lender
nmlsconsumeraccess.org
First Heritage Mortgage, LLC, Company NMLS ID #86548

Our Location

3201 Jermantown Road
Suite 800
Fairfax, VA 22030
Business: 703-293-6146
Cellphone: 571-237-6241

Copyright © 2023 · Powered by MySMARTblog