Information about Interest Only Loans
What are interest-only loans, also known as interest-only mortgages? When we hear the term “interest-only loan” we intuitively come to the conclusion that this could actually mean a loan where the borrower is only responsible for paying the interest on a loan. Ha! What a beautiful world this would be if that was true! In fact, an interest-only loan is a type of adjustable-rate mortgage where the borrower makes no payments on the loan principal for a preset and very specific amount of time. After that preset time has elapsed, the borrower is then responsible for making fully amortized payments, covering both the principal and the interest on the loan, just as the borrower would pay with a student loan, a standard mortgage or a car loan.
For more clarity, here’s an example of an interest-only loan:
Let’s say you’ve spotted the perfect new home. You really want this home, but money is tight, so you’ll need to find the most affordable mortgage product that suits your financial circumstances. You decide to try an interest-only loan.
If you were to walk into a bank and ask for an interest-only mortgage, the loan officer may offer you an interest-only loan with a five (5) year fixed rate of interest term, and a full term of 30 years. If you were to accept the terms of this loan, you would pay only the interest on the loan for the first five (5) years. As soon as the five (5) years are up — in other words, when payment month #61 comes around — you would then start making payments covering both the interest and the principal for this loan (i.e. fully amortized payments) until the loan is completely paid off.
The interest rate charged by the bank offering the interest-only loan is usually determined by taking the current LIBOR rate and adding a margin based on the risk of the loan (the margin being the bank’s profit.)
Advantages of Interest Only Loans
What are the advantages of interest-only mortgages? As you might have guessed already, signing up for an interest-only mortgage means that during the interest only period of the loan, monthly payments are very affordable — much less than they would be if you were making standard amortized payments to cover both the principal and the interest. This means that you would have extra money to play with during the interest only period, cash that you can use for high risk investing, home improvements, starting a business or business financing, paying down high-interest credit card debt, etc.
Another advantage of interest-only loans is that you get greater purchasing power for that first or second home. Since most people in the market for a home expect to increase their income during the interest-only period of the loan, this often means that the home buyer can go for a home of higher value than he or she otherwise would have tried for with a standard mortgage loan.
Other advantages include payment flexibility (i.e. having the option to payoff part of the principal during the interest-only period without being penalized) and Unlimited CashOut.
Disadvantages of Interest Only Loans
Perhaps the most salient disadvantage to interest-only mortgages is the potential for “payment shock” once the interest-only period concludes. Once the honeymoon of interest-only payments is over, the borrower is responsible for making fully amortized payments to cover both the interest and the principal on the loan. This can be a devastating situation for borrowers who fail to plan properly, especially for those on a fixed income.
If your household isn’t very secure financially, then an interest-only loan could spell serious trouble. Here are a few nightmare scenarios you should keep in mind:
* You lose your job, or your spouse gets fired from his/her job. The loss of income can be devastating if it happens when the interest-only period of your interest-only mortgage is about to terminate.
* You get into trouble with credit card debt, and your credit score drops significantly as a result. If your plan was to refinance before the interest-only period terminates, then your low credit score may make refinancing very difficult, or impossible.
* A generation ago, the typical homeowner would pay down their mortgage as a reliable way of building home equity over time. These days, however, many homeowners are relying on the value of their home appreciating over time as the primary way of building home equity. But now that home values have been stagnant and even declining in various parts of the country, many homeowners are realizing that home appreciation is not a reliable way of building equity. So, if you have an interest-only mortgage and the interest-only period is about to terminate, and the value of your home hasn’t appreciated over time, then selling or refinancing may cost you dearly, or may not even be possible. In this scenario, your best option may be to remain in your house, continue to pay down your mortgage, and wait until your the value of your home increases.