Can Mortgage Debt Consolidation Help You?
The process of mortgage debt consolidation is actually, at it's core, quite simple.
Many, many people use it to roll their debts up into one big loan with their main mortgage lender, and dramatically lower the interest rate they are charged on the majority of their borrowings. This in turn will reduce their total monthly costs which will hopefully make their day to day finances much easier.
Mortgage debt consolidation will be most effective when house prices have risen and the homeowner has extra equity. This extra equity in the property is used as a deposit in the same way that savings were used as a deposit when the property was purchased.
In some situations, this equity can be a very powerful tool for the borrower. When the property was first purchased, the borrower probably had a relatively small deposit. That is the way of the world - certainly for first-time buyers and young couples.
However, having owned a property for some time, they may now have both additional equity - thanks to rising prices - and a history of regular payments to a lender. These two factors can make the remortgage process much easier.
Since the total mortgage balance has increased (often quite substantially), the monthly payment will generally increase as well. However, this increase may still be small compared to the former payments on rolling credit which are now being repaid.
In some circumstances, it is possible for borrowers to remortgage to a new lender, consolidate other loans and actually get a better mortgage deal - because of mortgage market conditions or improved borrowing status - and their new payment is lower than their old mortgage payment! This, of course, is rare - but sometimes these miracles do happen...
This system is, of course, very dependent upon house prices. Should house prices stop rising, or fall, it will be used far less and look much less appealing. Lenders would be less likely to want to take extra lending risks - even if the monthly cash flow position of the borrower is improved.
The lender will see falling property prices and this alone may be enough to slow their lending. Property which is falling in value does not make great security against a loan.
It ought to be added, that should property prices be falling, it is highly likely that the overall economy will be slowing or in recession. This increases the possibility of borrowers being made redundant and missing monthly payments.
If this makes you think that mortgage debt consolidation is a tool most used in a rising property market - you are quite correct.
To learn more about mortgage related topics, please also visit:
How Does A Mortgage Work?
How Do Mortgage Interest Rates Work?
How Is A Mortgage Debt Secured?
What Are Mortgage Arrears?
Will Mortgage Debt Consolidation Work For You?
What Is Negative Equity?
|