What Is Home Loan Refinancing? Here’s What You Must Know

Refinancing a home loan can prove to be a pivotal decision for your financial prosperity, and it can also have adverse effects on it if the appropriate decision is not taken. This is why it’s important to understand how refinancing works and for what reasons you should do it, regardless of whether you own a 2 BHK flat in Navi Mumbai or anywhere else in the country. Home loan refinancing essentially means to avail a home loan from a different lender to pay off the loan you are currently on. We at L&T Realty have put together this brief guide to give you a better idea of home loan refinancing and the various intricacies that come along with it.

Why Should You Refinance Your Home Loan?

Lower Interest Rates
One of the major reasons why people choose to refinance their home loan is that they get a much better rate of interest in comparison to their current home loan. It is often the case that many lenders do not offer a lower interest rate to their borrowers even when the overall rates experience a drop, or they will only offer it at a later time. In situations where other lenders are willing to offer home loans with a lower interest rate, it could be wise to refinance your loan and choose such an option. It might mean a lighter amount that you would have to pay in EMI’s, and you could make some impressive accumulated savings by the end of your tenure.

Switch Between Fixed and Floating Interest Rates
In case you didn’t know, home loans will typically come with either a fixed interest rate, or a floating interest rate. Most people who are comfortable with committing to paying a certain EMI amount for a substantial period will opt for a home loan with fixed interest rate. People who might be hoping to make some savings in the long-term or are expecting interest rates to experience a drop are more likely to opt for floating interest rates. If you are in a situation where you have opted for a home loan with fixed interest rate, and the interest rates are starting to fall, then a floating interest rate loan would prove to be a better financial option. You can switch to this option when you refinance your home loan.
On the other hand, someone who has initially opted for a home loan with floating may be in a situation where interest rates are starting to take off, to a point where it will cost them more than paying a fixed interest rate. While fixed rates are almost always higher than floating interest rates, such a situation can still arise, and refinancing your home loan to one with fixed interest rates would be a wise decision.

Changing Your Loan Tenure and EMI
Depending on the tenure of the loan as well as the interest rate, you will be paying a certain amount for your EMI’s. However, if you happen to be in a situation where your income increases or you generate a separate additional source of income, you might be in a position to pay a higher amount in EMI’s. This would mean that you will be able to pay off your home loan within a shorter period of time. In this case, refinancing your home loan would probably be the ideal choice to make, allowing you to finish off your loan repayment tenure quicker.
On the other hand, one might be dealing with a sort of financial crunch, which is causing them to struggle when it comes to paying the EMI for their home loan. This could happen for a number of reasons, such as losing a source of income or perhaps an increased burden of financial responsibilities. In this case, they could choose to refinance their home loan to one where they would have to pay a lower amount in EMI’s, thereby extending their home loan tenure and easing their financial troubles.

Things to Know About Home Loan Refinancing

When to Refinance and What Are The Costs?
If you are contemplating refinancing your home loan, you might be a little unsure about whether it is the right time to make such a switch. It’s worth noting that refinancing a home loan is typically a good decision when you are relatively early on in your loan tenure period. If you are well over halfway through your home loan repayment tenure, then it might simply be better to stick it out till the end. On the other hand, if you believe that you will save a decent amount of money by refinancing, then it will still be worth considering whether you are investing in apartments near Hebbal or elsewhere.
This is when you should also take note of the kind of costs that come into play when you are refinancing your home loan. The costs involved include fees for legal consultation, as well as charges for processing. In case your current home loan came with fixed interest rates, then you will also be required to pay a prepayment penalty to the lender who you took it from. It will most definitely be worth refinancing your home loan if you made substantial savings from it, having taken these costs into account. This is why it is crucial that you thoroughly analyze these costs and the benefits that you have to gain from a potential home loan refinance.

Non-Financial Aspects
It is important to remember that you cannot base your decision to refinance your home loan simply on the reason of lowered interest rates. It is also just as vital that you reinforce this decision by ensuring the credibility of your lender. This means checking their overall legitimacy and track record, including the quality of their customer service, as well as the terms and conditions that they include for repayment of their home loans.

Home loan refinancing tends to be a tedious process, specifically because it is considered a fresh home loan and not associated with the previous one that has been taken. It will certainly not be a quick switch, and will involve many intricacies that you will need to pay close attention to. Regardless of whether you have invested in flats in Ghatkopar or anywhere else, these are just a few things to keep in mind about home loan refinancing.