Basics of Home Mortgages

When you look at home mortgages at their basic level, there are two different types of home mortgage loans, fixed and adjustable. In both cases "rate" refers to the rate of interest you pay the bank for the privilege of borrowing its cash. When deciding on the best one that suits your needs, make sure you look at each type in depth, so that you know you are getting the best value possible, as you will be making payments on your home for the next fifteen to thirty years.
 
A fixed-rate mortgage is so called because its interest rate doesn't change over the life of the loan, no matter what rates do on the open market. Many people feel more comfortable with a fixed rate, because they know their monthly mortgage payments will remain steady over the years, making at least one aspect of their monthly cash flow predictable. The downside is that you pay for that comfort: Lenders charge a higher rate of interest for fixed-rate loans. Why? Because they figure that if interest rates shoot up, they lose the opportunity to make more money on the funds they are lending you.
 
The standard fixed loan lasts for 30 years, but if you can handle higher payments and want to build up your equity in your home faster, you can opt for a 15-year fixed. With a 15-year, you'll get a lower rate and pay much less interest over the life of the loan. The payments each month, however, will be quite a bit higher since they aren't being stretched over so long a period.
 
Adjustable-rate loans get their name because the rate you pay changes according to a set formula as interest rates fluctuate on the open market. As noted above, the upside is that lenders charge a lower rate for such loans because you are taking on some of the interest-rate risk. This makes your monthly payments lower -- at least in the beginning. Such loans provide a way for many buyers to afford a larger loan amount for a given monthly payment. An adjustable works out wonderfully if rates drop -- something you should never count on. But watch out if interest rates rise. In a year or two, your payments could far exceed what you would have paid for a 30-year fixed.
 
The trick with adjustable is to tailor the loan to your needs. Generally, the cheapest rate out there is on a one-year adjustable. (Well, yes, there are even cheaper loans that adjust monthly, but those are too esoteric for most buyers.) With a one-year, your rate can change annually, making these loans particularly risky. Lenders often try to draw you in with "teaser" rates that are especially cheap for the first year, but which will almost certainly jump up the next year.