1. Using a mortgage calculator to figure
out how much more you will have to pay each month to lower your principal
balance and shorten your term. Paying a little bit more then your normal payment will save you on the interest each
month and in turn shorten your term.
2. Divide your payment in half and make
that payment every two weeks instead of once a month. Because there are 52
weeks in a year at the end of the year you will have made 13 payments instead
of 12. Most mortgage servicing companies and lenders will allow you to set this
up. They will most likely have a setup fee but you will be saving interest each
month and paying off your mortgage early saving you money. Check with your
lender to see if they will except partial payments in advance of due date. You
will need to get ahead of your current payment to get this in motion.
3. Refinancing your 30 mortgages into a
15-year or even 10-year term mortgage will save you an incredible amount
of interest. This has become very popular as baby boomers look at retirement
and want to stay in their homes.
4. Refinancing in general could be an
option for you to save money, I always advise my clients to do an annual
mortgage analysis to make sure your current mortgage is working for you and see
if there might be is a better loan product available that could save you money.
5. Blending a traditional mortgage with
one or more deposit saving accounts. Both the mortgage and savings are
established with the same bank/lender. Each mortgage payment is made and the
interest is calculated on principal of your mortgage loan, minus the aggregate
in your savings accounts, you still have access to your savings. This is a very
common financial tool used in many countries that our US banks really don’t
want you to know about.
6. Setting goals to pay off your home
early can also mean sacrifices no one wants to work a second job, but
increasing your income with a second job or other type of work that can
increase your income and pay this extra income to the principal on your
mortgage will work to get it pay off early.
7. Cutting up those credit cards is
another sacrifice you could do to create extra income. Once they are paid off,
start making that same payment to your mortgage principal.
8. Do a price analysis on all your other
expenses to see if it’s possible to reduce some of your monthly bills. Cell phone, cable and
internet, electric. If you use your checking account to pay all your bills,
some banks have reports on the different type of expenses you spend your money
each month, use these reports to see where you spend and where you can reduce your spending. Take that savings each month or even quarterly and make a
payment toward to mortgage principal.
9. Investment accounts, 401K, Roth IRA’s,
IRA’s, annuities, life insurance with cash value, etc. Checking these accounts
annually to see if using them to pay off or reduce your mortgage debt is
financially right for you. Determine your gain vs the interest paid on your
home and see where you are and what is working and what is NOT.
10. Using your home as a money earning
asset, renting it out. Renting a room or space in your home. If you have the
ability to turn remodel old basement or attic into a rental space you can earn a second income from your home. If you have a
lot of land or large lot consider renting a space to someone living in an RV or
storing it for them while they are not using it. Be creative and do what works
for you.
With all of these different ways to pay off your
mortgage early please make sure you are careful and if you need help contact
me. I can whip up an amortization table or do an mortgage analysis pretty quickly for you and help you
with any questions you might have about any one of these 10 ways.
Thank you for stopping by my blog, I appreciate and welcome your comments and
questions.
Roxy Redenbaugh
ACMC Loan Consultant
Certified Mortgage Coach
Branch Manager
NMLS #269926
