Overrated for you in your situation, yes, that rate difference is not that big. But, for most people it's worth it. I'm in the process of a refi now, probably going 4.87 to 3.2, we're only 18 months into our loan and I can reduce my payment by $500 per month and just roll that straight back into the principal instead of interest.
Could not disagree more. I’ve personally known a whole lot of people who’ve done refi’s, and not a single one of them was done wisely. Here’s a list of foolish things homeowners do, as influenced by the profitable lending industry:
-extend payoff date
-finance the appraisal or the loan issue fee
-float rate and gamble on further rate dip
-agree to less favorable terms such as balloon, early payment penalty, variable rate
-increase amount owed by taking out more money against the property equity
-watch your tax base jump with higher appraised value
-let the bank dictate more aggressive payment terms (such as shortening loan term) when you could do the same yourself without a new loan.
All of these things make you more broke and someone else more rich.
Yes, I’ll concede that there are a small percentage of unique scenarios where locking a new rate today, lowest in 50 years in the US is a wise choice. But this is a very far cry than your claim of “for most people it’s worth it”, which there is no way is correct.
A possible good scenario:
-150k or higher current balance, and rate 2.0% higher than what you could change it to.
-new loan payoff date earlier than current one
-pay cash for appraisal and loan fee
-calculate how much extra property tax you’ll have to pay based on new appraisal, which needs to be significantly offset the $ saved in interest over the life of the loan.
While this all looks fine on paper, I’d be surprised if more than 2% of refi’s are done for the true financial benefit of the owner.
The industry preys on our instincts and lack of knowledge and is extremely profitable. I’ll play their game, but I also make damn sure I’m not getting screwed in the process.