A Comprehensive Guide to Refinancing Your Mortgage: Frequency and Key Considerations for Multiple Refinancings
Refinancing your mortgage can help reduce your monthly payments and adjust your loan terms, but it can also be expensive.
### How Many Times Can You Refinance?
There’s no legal limit on the number of times you can refinance your mortgage. However, each refinancing comes with closing costs, including inspection fees, title search and insurance fees, appraisal fees, application fees, and attorney review fees. These upfront costs should be considered and subtracted from the monthly savings you’ll gain from refinancing.
### Smart Reasons to Refinance
Here are some good reasons to refinance your mortgage:
1. **To Get a Lower Interest Rate**: If interest rates have dropped significantly since you took out your loan, refinancing can save you a lot on monthly interest charges, help you pay down your principal balance faster, and build more equity in your home quicker.
2. **To Remove Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)**: If you initially put down less than 20% on your loan, you likely had to pay PMI. This insurance protects lenders if you can’t make your mortgage payments, typically adding $30-70 per month for every $100,000 borrowed. Once you’ve paid off 20% of your loan, refinancing to eliminate PMI is a smart move.
3. **To Modify Your Loan Terms**: If you’re locked into a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage but want to change the length of your loan, refinancing can help. Switching to a shorter term, like 15 years, means higher monthly payments but less interest over the life of the loan. Conversely, a longer term will lower your monthly payments but extend the time it takes to pay off the loan and increase the total interest paid.