Which Loan Term is Best for Me?

"Always get a 30 year fixed rate loan!" or "Don't pay the higher interest rate on a loan that you will refinance later" or "You will sell that home when you need more space so why get a 30 year loan" - Have any of these advices been offered to you when considering which loan term to choose?

Those three suggestions are wise and unwise depending on your situation now and what you plan to do in the future. Can you predict the future? The answer is no and yet,  you can give probabilities to the future to help your decision.

First some facts:  The average home in the US is owned for approx 7-10 years. The average condo is owned for less than that. So - that may rule out the 30 year fixed rate loan immediately, A 30 year fixed rate loan today may have a 4.5% interest. A 7 year fixed rate loan today would be around 4%. So, if you are keeping the home for a shorter period of time, why pay approximately $500 extra per year for each $100,000 that you borrow? (I am sure somebody reading this is thinking what is $500 over 1 year - that is worth the comfort of a fully fixed rate loan)

Most shorter term fixed rate loans today are fixed for 3, 5, 7 or 10 years, amortized over 30 years and typically become annual adjustable rate loans after the fixed rate period.  There are different structures with other ARMs (adjustable rate mortgages) but this structure is very common.  The comfort of knowing exactly what your payment will be is either 3, 5, 7, 10 or 30 years depending on which fixed term you choose. The amount of interest rate that you pay rises typically from the shortest term to the longest term. It would be safe to say that you can get a mid 2% rate in the 3 year range and a 4.5% rate in the 30 year range. That difference may be significant depending on  your current and future plans for the property.

Let's say you are buying a small starter home with plans to want a larger home in 3 years. If you plan to sell the home in 3 years, then a 3 or 5 year fixed rate loan may be perfect. But... what if you decide to buy a larger home in a few years as planned and keep this first home as a rental property? Now, you have a loan which will start adjusting every year (or monthly) which fluctuates your cash flow.Future hindsight may tell you that a 7 or 10 year fixed rate would be better. It's sad that we cannot rely on future hindsight now!

Now take my mom as an example (sorry Mom!). She is retiring in the next few years. A 30 year fixed rate loan may be the best choice for her. Refinancing or dealing with an adjustable rate payment when going into retirement (fixed income) is not ideal. Solid, secure financing makes sense then.

Where are you in this spectrum of home ownership? Let's talk and flush out the best plan for you. Mario Pinedo 415-269-6249 - call or text

30 Year Fixed Rate or Interest Only Loan?

A good reason for choosing an interest only loan: 

Most people will make a decision to trade up their current house based on equity appreciation through sales prices going up. It is rare that the equity appreciation is based on their amortization of their 30 year fixed rate loan. That takes far longer. Therefore, if you are considering trading up, why not save the monthly outlay of the principle payments? On a $500,000 loan, the difference is over $600 per month!

Condo Loans After All Cash Purchase

Many investors or home buyers are paying all cash to buy a condo in order to win multiple offer situations, foreclosures or short sales. Placing a loan on the property after close of escrow may be a good way to recoup funds for use elsewhere. If a loan to pull money out of the property is done within 6 month of acquisition, then standard refinance rules apply. This method avoids the more costly cash-out loans.  Let's talk about this strategy in detail before your time frame is up.