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6 Inexpensive Ways to Get Your House Ready to Sell

You may want to convert an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) to a fixed-rate loan to gain stability in your monthly payments or in the event that interest rates drop faster than your ARM can accommodate. Many ARMs have caps limiting the amount of periodic adjustments. So, if interest rates drop 3 percentage points in a year but your ARM has a 2 percent annual cap, you may want to refinance to take full advantage of the new, low interest rates.

When interest rates drop, you can refinance to take advantage of the new rates, getting either a new ARM or a fixed-rate mortgage at a lower rate. When you replace an old ARM with a new one, you generally reset your mortgage's lifetime adjustment cap. For instance, if your old mortgage had a lifetime adjustment cap of 6 percent and the initial rate was 10 percent, your mortgage rate could go as high as 16 percent. If you replace your old mortgage with an ARM with a rate of 8 percent and a lifetime adjustment cap of 6 percent, your mortgage interest rate will never go higher than 14 percent.

Should I Rent or Buy a Home?

Besides the costs of refinancing, you may want to consider other potential disadvantages before signing on the dotted line. For example, if you cash out some of the equity in your home, you will own less of your home when the deal is done. And it may take you longer to own your home free and clear than if you had not refinanced.

Time is also a consideration when it comes to refinancing costs. How long will it take for your new interest savings to pay off the property appraisal, title insurance, and other costs? You may have to live in the house longer than you planned to make the refinance worthwhile. If you move before you have recouped the refinance costs, you will lose money on the deal.