Compare The Best Mortgage Rates in Benton, KS

Compare Benton, KS Home Mortgage Rates

When it comes time to buy a new home or refinance the loan on a current home, it's essential for the borrower to get the absolute best mortgage rates. MyRatePlan can help with that, as it has all the info and tools necessary to pull up the best home loan rates in Benton, KS and compare the lender options. All it takes is some research and mortgage rate comparisons beforehand for a borrower to make sure they don't end up with a higher interest rate than necessary, saving themselves money over the long haul.

What Types of Mortgages Borrowers Can Get in Benton, KS

The home loan marketplace includes a variety of loan products to appeal to the needs of different buyers, including fixed-rate home loans and variable home loans. As it's important to know how those two types of loans work, they're explained below.

A fixed-rate mortgage in Benton, KS gets its name because the interest rate stays fixed at one percentage for the full term length of the loan, regardless of whether the loan lasts five years, 10 years or 30 years. With the interest rate staying the same, the monthly payment also stays the same, which makes it easy for the borrower to set their budget and know how much their home payment is going to be.

An adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) in Benton, KS has an interest rate that changes on a set time frequency. For example, the interest rate could adjust with the market every year. There are also hybrid ARMs which start out as fixed-rate home loans for a predetermined period of time, and then transition to ARMs for the remainder of the loan term. For example, a 7/2 ARM would have a fixed interest rate for the first seven years, and after that, the interest rate would adjust every two years. The difficulty with ARMs and hybrid ARMs is that the interest rate can go up and leave the borrower with a larger home payment, potentially stretching their budget to its limit.

Benton, KS FHA Home Loans

There's more to the buyer's choice than a fixed-rate mortgage or an ARM. The buyer also needs to figure out if they want to go with a mortgage that's insured by the government, including a FHA or a VA, or stick with the more conventional type of loan, which doesn't have any insurance or guarantee from the federal government. When it comes to government-backed mortgages in Benton, KS, there are three options, which are FHA Loans, USDA Loans and VA Loans.

FHA loans are a popular option, and they're available through the Federal Housing Administration's mortgage insurance program. The federal government's Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) handles this program. One major benefit of FHA loans is that just about any type of borrower can be eligible, as they're not only available to people who are purchasing a home for the first time. The way the loan works is that the government is providing insurance for the lender against any losses that could occur if the buyer defaults on their mortgage. For the buyer, one perk of an FHA loan is that they don't need to have as much of a down payment saved, because the down payment could be as little as 3.5 percent of the home's price. Typical down payments are between 10 and 20 percent. The drawback with FHA loans for the borrower is that they're also responsible for paying for mortgage insurance, and this means larger monthly payments.

Mortgage Refinancing in Benton, KS

Even though mortgage refinancing in Benton, KS is a common term, what is actually happening is the borrower is applying for a new home loan to pay off the old one. If the new mortgage has better terms, the borrower can save money, but they need to remember that the new mortgage could have closing costs, along with some other fees, that they must cover. To decide if refinancing a mortgage is the right move, the borrower must do the math and see if they'll save enough from the lower interest rate to outweigh any costs of the new mortgage.

There is one situation where the borrower doesn't need to double check the math, though, and that's if they're paying off an ARM with a fixed-rate mortgage. This is almost always a wise choice, because interest rates usually increase, which means fixed-rate mortgages are often cheaper in the long run. When a borrower wants to refinance a mortgage, they need to demonstrate that they're low risk. They can do so by getting to and maintaining a plus-700 credit score and having a low ratio of debt to income. Fortunately, even borrowers who can't quite reach the highest standards can still end up approved on a new mortgage in Benton, KS with low interest.