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June 9th, 2010Categories: Mortgage & Finance reVIEWS

Mortgage rates may be dropping, but mortgage costs are not.

According to Freddie Mac, the average required discount points on a conforming mortgage rate are higher by 0.1 percent since early-May.

A “discount point” is prepaid mortgage interest; an up-front fee paid by a borrower in exchange for a lower mortgage rate. In most cases, discount points are tax-deductible.

Tax-deductible or not, though, rising costs are rising costs and Freddie Mac glosses over it.  In its weekly press release, the government group offers mortgage rate comparisons to weeks prior, but doesn’t do the same for required points.

The press fails to mention discount points entirely.

An increase of 1/10 percent in discount points costs home buyers and refinancing households in Blue Ridge and Blairsville an extra $100 per $100,000 borrowed.

The hike reminds us that there’s more to a mortgage than just its rate — costs matter, too.  And if you’ve only been watching the headlines, you would have missed how costs are rising.

Tags: Discount Points, Freddie Mac, Loan, Mortgage, Mortgage Rates, Refinancing

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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June 3rd, 2009Categories: Georgia Mountain Home Buyer's reVIEWS, Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS, Mortgage & Finance reVIEWS

Most often referred to as just-plain “points”, discount points are an up-front fee charged by a mortgage lender in exchange for a lower mortgage rate.

The dollar value of one point is one percent on the loan size.  Discount points appear on Good Faith Estimates and HUD-1 Settlement Statements on Line 802.

Historically, each 1 point paid by a borrower lowers an offered interest rate by a quarter-percent.  Since the late-2008, however, this relationship is skewed.

Depending on market conditions, 1 point paid by a borrower can lower a mortgage rate by up to 0.875 percent.

As an example of how points work, a $200,000 home loan may be offered at 5.500 percent with 0 points.  With 1 discount point paid at closing — $2,000 – the mortgage rate may lower to 5.125 percent.

In addition to lowering your interest rate, discount points may be tax-deductible, too.  Therefore, be sure to provide your home settlement statements from the previous calendar year to your accountant during Tax Season.

I recommend calling Tracie Griffith with First Community Mortgage located in Blue Ridge, GA. Tracie has always taken very good care of my customers and clients lending needs. So, if you have any questions about a Home Loan, or further information on Discount Points, please give her a call at 706.632.5800. Please let her know you found her on “The Porch!”  Oh by the way, if you haven’t found that North Georgia Mountain Cabin, please Contact Me or give me a call at 706.994.8686 for all your Blue Ridge, Blairsville, Ellijay, or Hiawassee Real Estate needs. I would greatly appreciate it.

Make it a GREAT day!

Tags: Discount Points, Home Loans, Lending, Mortgage Rates

Written by Chad Lariscy//Discussion: Please leave a comment.

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