California Home Loan Mortgage Rates

California Home Equity Line Of Credit

Home Equity Lines of Credit, or HELOCs, are open-ended, revolving loans that allow future advances up to the approved credit limit. Much like credit cards, they offer cash when it is needed with flexible payment options during the draw period. The draw period of a Home Equity Line of Credit is the amount of time the line of credit is open for, usually ten years, after which the balance must be paid.

Advances taken out during this draw period may have small monthly payments in which only minimal amounts are paid toward the principle with the rest of the payment going to accrued interest, or interest only payments may be made. At the end of the draw period, many plans have balloon payments in which the monthly payments will drastically increase to cover the rest of the balance due or the entire balance may be due immediately. There are plans that offer repayment of the Home Equity Line of Credit loan over a fixed period of time after the draw period has ended.

Interest of Home Equity Lines of Credit is usually variable and tied to the Prime Lending Rate, the rate in which most major banks charge their largest and most credit worthy customers. These variable rates usually have a cap to limit how high of an interest rate can be charged and some have limits as to how low the interest rate can get. Variable rates are subject to quarterly adjustment though some plans offer a fixed interest rate. The interest paid on Home Equity Lines of Credit is only paid when the funds are used and is usually tax deductible.

Like Home Equity Loans, Home Equity Lines of Credit have fees that may be charged for taking out the loan. Some plans call for one-time; up front fees while others have annual fees. Plans that offer low monthly payments during the draw period may require a balloon payment at the end of the loan period requiring the entire remaining balance to be paid. Other fees can also apply such as appraisal fee, credit check fee, and closing costs. The Federal Truth in Lending Act protects the borrower by requiring the lender to inform the borrower of all costs and terms when the application is given.

California residence taking out a Home Equity Line of Credit have the option of whether or not to allow outside and affiliate companies to have access to their private financial information. Through the California Financial Information Privacy Act, the lender can only disclose financial information about California residences with other companies if it is mandatory in securing the loan. Any other use of the information is at the borrowers’ discretion. 

California Home Loan Mortgage Rates

The California Home Loan Mortgage Rates are low at this point of time. The California Home Loan Mortgage Rates are connected to the national interest rate and controlled by national housing market interest index. The national interest rate is controlled by secondary markets which are closely monitored by the Government since the whole economy depends on them. The economy at this time coupled with the housing market situation has brought about this change in California Home Loan Mortgage Rates.

Home Loan Mortgage Rates in California do not rally appeal to a prospective buyer especially if he is from a different state. These rates can inject more frustration than excitement into his life since the cost of living in California is high in comparison to other states. It really takes a lot of intellect and skill to play around with different options to reduce interest rates and payments in order to make California Home Loan Mortgage Rates affordable.

The California Home Loan Mortgage Rates fluctuate daily. In order to get the feel of it, it is advisable to wait and watch and see the trend before making a decision. These mortgage rates come in with a variety of different options. There are interest only rates, standard fixed rates, adjustable rates and variable rates. All these rates have to be taken into account while making a decision in order to get the best rates possible.

Interest only California home loan mortgage rates are the lowest since the buyer or borrower is paying only the interest component. This apparent low level of payment options makes it interesting and attractive to borrowers

A standard fixed mortgage rate gives the maximum security to the home buyer in freezing the interest rates, i.e. the interest rates will neither raise nor fall. They will have a consistent, preplanned repayment schedule throughout the loan term. The term comes in different sizes viz. 15, 20, 25, 30, or 40 years. A fixed California home loan mortgage rate follows the national housing interest index faithfully.

Mortgage rates that variable or adjustable carry a lower interest tag; normally 2%-3% lower than the fixed rates. They begin as fixed for a short period which is predetermined, usually 2, 3, 5, or 7 years, after which they start fluctuating in accordance with the current market California home loan mortgage rates. The borrower has certain options here; he can refinance for a new loan, sell the home, or start repayment of the new variable or adjustable rates. Buyers planning to invest in property for a short period often choose the variable or adjustable mortgage rate because of the lower payments they offer during the starting years of the loan.

Lower California home loan mortgage rates are always attractive to borrowers because they are mostly on the higher side due to higher cost of living. The best way to ensure a low California home loan mortgage rate is to possess a good to excellent credit score. These credit scores directly determine interest rates and the better the score, the lower the California home loan mortgage rate.