Compare The Best Mortgage Rates in Lehigh Valley, PA

Compare Lehigh Valley, PA Home Loan Mortgage Rates

Whether a prospective borrower is checking out mortgages in Lehigh Valley, PA because they want to purchase their first home or refinance the mortgage on their current home, it's vital that they get the best mortgage rate possible. That's made much easier by MyRatePlan, which has all the data and tools borrowers need to check out mortgage rates and compare what's available from different lenders. By looking at all their options first, the borrower can make sure that they pay as little interest as possible on their home loan.

Best Mortgage Rates in Lehigh Valley, PA

How Borrowers Can Get the Best Home Loan Rates in Lehigh Valley, PA

For the typical homebuyer in Lehigh Valley, PA, a mortgage is going to be a necessity to fund their home purchase. Even the most inexpensive homes on the market still tend to cost $50,000 or more, which is more than most people have on hand in their bank accounts, making it extremely difficult to pay for a home with cash. That's why a home loan is such an important part of the purchasing process. A small interest rate difference can make a massive difference over a loan with a term of 20 to 30 years. Real estate agents are often able to recommend their own preferred lenders that they know from past deals, but it's best for homebuyers to take these recommendations with a grain of salt. The real estate agent wants the deal done as soon as possible, but the homebuyer wants the home loan with the lowest interest rate, and those goals don't always align. Patience is a virtue for homebuyers looking for the right mortgage lender, and they should always check out rates online first for a full comparison. The MyRatePlan home loan interest rate tool is great for locating the lowest mortgage rates throughout Lehigh Valley, PA. After the homebuyer finds the lowest rate, it's all a matter of making sure they have a credit score high enough to qualify.

Different Types of Mortgages Available in Lehigh Valley, PA

There are a variety of loan products on the market to appeal to all kinds of different buyers. Mortgages can be separated into the fixed-rate and variable categories.

With a fixed-rate mortgage loan in Lehigh Valley, PA, the loan's interest rate will stay the same for the whole repayment term. This also means that the buyer's monthly payment stays the same until the loan is paid off, and it remains true even if the loan is going to last decades, as is the case with 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. For the buyer, this means that they always know how much they'll be paying and they don't need to worry about interest rate fluctuations.

Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) in Lehigh Valley, PA work much differently, because they have interest rates that can adjust with the market. There is usually an initial period of time where the interest rate is locked in, and after that time period ends, the interest rate on the loan adjusts every year. Since this effectively blends the fixed-rate mortgage and the ARM, these loans are sometimes called hybrid ARMs. One example would be a 5/1 ARM, with the numbers indicating how long the interest rate is fixed. In a 5/1 ARM, the first five years of the loan have a fixed interest rate, and from then on out, the interest rate adjusts annually.

FHA Mortgage Loans In Lehigh Valley, PA

It will be up to you whether you choose to go with a fixed-rate or adjustable-rate mortgage loan. However, there are other choices to choose from as well. You might get to choose whether or not you want to use a conventional type of loan or government-insured type of loan such as a VA or FHA loan. Conventional home loans from private lenders are ones that are not insured or even guaranteed by the government in any such way. This is the biggest difference between the three types of government-backed home loans such as FHA loans, USDA loans and VA loans.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, manages the Federal Housing Administration, or FHA. In Lehigh Valley, PA, FHA loans can be available for many types of home loan borrowers, even if this is not your first time buying a home. Through these loans, the government will ensure your lender against any losses that could be a result from the borrower defaulting on the loan. One advantage of this type of loan is that the program will allow you to make a low down payment on the purchase price starting at 3.5 percent. A disadvantage of this program is that you will have to pay for mortgage insurance, which will increase the amount you'll have to pay each month.

Refinancing a Mortgage in Lehigh Valley, PA

Mortgage Refinancing in Lehigh Valley, PA

Even though mortgage refinancing in Lehigh Valley, PA 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 Lehigh Valley, PA with low interest.