Compare The Best Mortgage Rates in South Carolina

How to Compare South Carolina Mortgage Rates

Whether a mortgage is needed to finance a new home purchase or refinance a previous home loan, it's crucial that the borrower secures a favorable interest rate. MyRatePlan can help any borrower locate the lowest mortgage rates in South Carolina and compare all their available options, as it has all the tools and information necessary to get a clear picture of the home loan marketplace. When the borrower does their homework by researching mortgage options and comparing rates from different lenders, they can feel confident that they're paying too much interest, and having the lowest possible interest rate will save them a considerable sum over the long haul.

Different Mortgage Types Available in South Carolina

For home loans, there are many products available to appeal to a variety of buyer types. The two most common types of mortgages on the market are fixed-rate mortgages and variable mortgages, which work very differently and suit different types of borrowers.

A fixed-rate mortgage in South Carolina will be fixed at one interest rate during the entire term of the loan, hence the name. The borrower will be making a monthly payment for the same amount every month, whether they have a 10-year mortgage or a 30-year mortgage. This keeps things consistent and gives the borrower some peace of mind, because they don't need to worry about any terms on their home loan suddenly changing.

True to their names, adjustable-rate mortgage loans (ARMS) in South Carolina have changing interest rates that can increase or decrease depending on the market. The most common type of ARM is known as a hybrid ARM, and the reason is that it actually combines features from fixed-rate mortgages and ARMs. It starts like a fixed-rate mortgage with a set interest rate for a certain number of years, and then it switches over to an ARM. An example would be a 7/1 ARM. The seven indicates the number of years that the mortgage has a fixed rate, and the one indicates how often, in years, the interest rate adjusts after that. Therefore, a 7/1 ARM means a home loan with a fixed interest rate for the first seven years and an interest rate that adjusts every one year from that point forward.

South Carolina 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 South Carolina, 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.

Refinancing a Mortgage in South Carolina

It may be called refinancing, but when a borrower does that, what they're really doing is applying for a completely new home loan. If they're approved for that home loan, they can use it to pay off their previous home loan and only make payments on this new one. Since it's a new mortgage, there may be fees and closing costs involved. For this reason, it's vital that the borrower considers those extra costs and whether they will be outweighed by the savings of a lower interest rate. There is one situation where it's always smart to refinance, and that's if the borrower is getting a fixed-rate home loan to replace an ARM. That's because interest rates are trending upwards, meaning an ARM will likely cost more in the future, not less. When a borrower wants to refinance a home loan and get the best rate, they must make sure they represent as little risk as possible to mortgage lenders. They can do this by getting their credit score as high as possible, at least above 700, and maintaining a low debt-to-income ratio. Although it's good to be low risk, borrowers should also note that it is possible to get a home loan in South Carolina with a low interest rate even without hitting all the strictest standards.