If you are in the process of refinancing your home mortgage loan, finding the best lender and the lowest refinancing mortgage rate can be an intimidating process. Did you know that the rate quotes you receive when shopping for a new loan all include commission based markup? Homeowners who learn to recognize this unnecessary markup of their mortgage rate can save thousands of dollars on their mortgage every year. Here are several tips to help you get the best refinancing mortgage rate for your next home loan.
What Is Commission Based Markup?
You may be required to pay an origination fee to the company or mortgage broker that arranges your new home loan. The lender that approves your loan also pays a fee to this company or broker for closing your mortgage with higher than market interest rates. This fee paid to the broker for overcharging you is called Yield Spread Premium; homeowners who learn how to avoid Yield Spread Premium can save thousands of dollars every year by taking advantage of wholesale rates.
The Basics of Yield Spread Premium
Here’s an example of Yield Spread Premium in a typical transaction. You’ve decided to refinance your home and need a new mortgage for $250,000. The mortgage broker locks and closes your new loan with a 6.75% interest rate and charges you an origination fee of one percent. This means you’ll have to pay $2,500 at closing for the mortgage broker’s work. What your mortgage broker isn’t telling you is that the lender actually approved you for a 6.0% rate and they’ve marked it up for a commission. The lender pays your broker 3% or $7,500 for overcharging you in addition to the $2,500 you’re paying.
Yield Spread Premium Raises Your Monthly Payments
Is .75% of your mortgage rate worth worrying about? In the previous example if you refinanced with the rate you qualified at six percent your payment would $1,498 per month. Had you agreed to the mortgage rate that includes Yield Spread Premium your mortgage payment would be $1,621 per month at 6.75%. This adds up to $1,476 per year that you’ll pay to give your mortgage broker a bonus.
Yield Spread Premium Can Be Avoided
Homeowners who learn to recognize this commission based markup of their mortgage rates can refinance with a wholesale mortgage rate and save thousands of dollars in finance charges. It is possible to refinance your home with a wholesale rate and only pay one percent to the broker. You can learn more about doing this yourself without paying lender junk fees.
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