Learn More About the Interest You Will Pay When Buying a House

Getting loans almost always equates to having to pay for interest rates, and banks and financial institutions have their ways of determining how much interest you should be paying for a loan. Whatever type of loan it is whether it's for a vehicle or a house, for sure, your goal is to get the lowest interest rate that you could.

Business Insider recently reported that the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage last year was at 4.75 percent. This year, the average went down to 3.72 percent. And so, you can use this percentage for now if you don't have any idea on what percentage a bank or the lender would give you. You can use an interest only loan calculator for this to compute an estimate of how much interest you'll be paying a month or in total.

When it comes to the interest rate that you'll be paying for your loan, it will be the lender or financial institution that will determine how much it is. This is only something that you can be sure of once you've already applied for a loan or mortgage with them. Know that you may be offered different interest rates if you apply to different banks or lending firms.

Factors or Variables that Affect the Interest Rate You May be Offered

Banks or financial institutions don't just decide on it without any basis. There are a few factors that affect what your interest rate will be. Here are some of the key factors that lending companies would take a look at to determine the interest they would offer.

• Credit Score

Your credits score will always play an important role when it comes to getting any type of loan. This is why preparation is important when buying a house. You don't just prepare your budget but you should also work on your credit score. Make sure all your other loans or debts are paid on time.

Before you seek the help of professionals who will work with you when it comes to purchasing a new home, you should check your credit score yourself. Look for discrepancies and file a dispute. Just know that if you will be disputing a certain report on your credit record, do this a few months away from when you will be applying for a house loan or mortgage. A credit dispute could affect your credit standing as well.

• Location of the House

Another factor that affects the interest rate of your loan is the state where you are or the home is located. This is why many interest rate calculators would also require you to input your state top to improve the estimate it could give you.

• Price of the House

Most of the time if the price of the house you are trying to buy is in the lower price range, it is likely that you'll get a higher interest rate. If the price of the house is in the higher range, then you may get a lower interest rate. This is why one of the first things you should check is the price of the house you'd like to buy. If you don't have any potential houses yet, at least ask your agent the price range of the houses in the neighborhood where you'd like to purchase a house.

• Your Initial or Down Payment

Generally, the larger your initial down payment is, the lower your interest rate will be. This is because lenders see high down payments with a lower level of risk for them since you have more stake in the property. Down payments could range from 5 to 20 percent of the house price.

If you are aiming to get a lower interest rate, then put a down payment of 20 percent or even more if you could. However, if you can't place a huge amount of down payment, lenders would also require you to get mortgage insurance or Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). Getting this could lower the interest rate a bit. However, this insurance could add cost to your monthly payment.

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• Loan Term, Loan Type, and Type of Interest Rate

Other important factors that could affect your interest rate include how long you will be paying your loan. Some terms would last up to 30 years. When it comes to the type of mortgage loan, there are conventional, FHA, USDA, and VA loans.

For the types of interest rates, the most common ones are fixed and adjustable. Fixed-rate means that the interest you'll be paying won't change in the course of your loan. An adjustable-rate, meanwhile, has an initial fixed period. After that, the interest rate could go up or down at a certain period.

And those are some of the key factors that lenders consider when you're applying for a mortgage loan. It's usually best to work with a real estate agent and mortgage broker for you to save as much as possible. There are mortgage brokers that could also help you negotiate with the lender when it comes to getting the best interest rate depending on your credit score or income.

(Disclaimer: The article is sponsored, and hence promotes some commercial links.)