The 40 Year Mortgage Question

Old 40 Year Mortgage
Until recently, a 40 year mortgage was almost unheard of, and I certainly had not heard about it until I started researching these things a little more thoroughly. Apparently they are becoming more and more popular in certain areas where the cost of new homes is much higher than the national averages. So you, as new home buyers, might be tempted to think that a longer mortgage such as this would be a great idea to allow you to purchase that expensive home you have been dreaming of, but is it really that simple? Are 40 year mortgages worth saving a hundred or so dollars per month even if it means greatly extending the length of the loan? That is what I will be exploring in this article.
Obviously the main reason that most borrowers of a 40 year mortgage become interested is the lower monthly payments without the need for an adjustable rate mortgage. That fact alone can cause its own problems. When you do the math and work it all out, you will probably find that the savings you gain from lower monthly payments may not be as great as you may have anticipated. A longer mortgage such as this, can also allow you to make a small down payment. But you have to ask yourself, is it worth it to save a hundred or so dollars per month in exchange for getting stuck with a loan that you will be paying off for much longer than usual? That is something that only you can decide as it depends on your individual financial situation.
Another aspect of 40 year mortgages that is important to consider is that they generally come at a higher rate than a standard mortgage, and this can eat away at what little amount of savings you thought you would be getting from choosing this option. A higher rate is charged simply because the lender’s money is tied up in your loan for longer than usual, and there is a longer period of time in which a default could occur, so they wish to be compensated for these extra risks.
So, as I have been saying all along, there are pros and cons to getting some savings and going with the higher 40 year mortgage rates, and that means you will need to work it out for yourself whether it will fit your situation. That means the question of whether or not a 40 year mortgage is a good idea in general is not the right question to be asking, because it is more personal than that.



