Last week, I did some digging on mortgage rates and had a talk with my mortgage banker, who happens to be a work friend of my Dad’s. After talking for a bit, she found me a rate that seemed almost too good to be true. 2.875% is a big improvement from my 4.25% mortgage. I did an analysis to figure out the best decision for me.
Home ownership for many is a vital part of achieving their part of the American Dream. I can understand as a home can feel like something you’ve worked hard for and will hopefully be a source of improving net worth as well as a place to build lifelong memories. With interest rates being at historic lows, this has allowed more families to possibly realize that dream and move into a house. It has also brought a steady rise in mortgage refinancing for those looking to make their mortgage payments go further. To be honest, it makes sense as refinancing your mortgage can potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the mortgage.
Some people debate whether it is a good idea to pay off your mortgage early. I don’t see why it is a debate at all. Sure, we can conjure up some numbers that make it look smart to stay in debt, but staying in debt is never a good idea.
In the personal finance world, we have a little mantra you might have seen before. Debt is bad. But is that always the case? I would argue no. Of course, it is better to be debt free than have debt, but sometimes it is necessary to improve your life.
