Imagine this: instead of paying a mortgage fee for a new loan, you get a mortgage credit of $55,077. Sounds great, right? Well, not necessarily. This was the quote I got for a $4.125 million, 10/6 ARM at a 3.625% rate. The thing is, the higher the mortgage rate you’re willing to pay, the bigger the mortgage credit you receive. Why? Because the lender makes a higher interest rate spread off your loan.
But here’s the kicker: taking out a new mortgage at a lower 3.375% rate with only a $3,514 credit might be a smarter move for a well-qualified borrower. By saving $576 a month in mortgage payments, you’ll break even in 89 months. You get to this number by taking the difference in the credit of $51,563 and dividing it by $576. If you plan to hold the mortgage for longer than seven-and-a-half years, then you’ll come out ahead, all things being equal. If you invest the difference with positive gains, you’ll break even even sooner.
This is the usual argument for why getting a lower mortgage rate with fewer credits may be better. But there’s another argument for why paying a small mortgage fee is better than getting a large credit. And I’m not sure most people know this. I didn’t until recently.
Here’s why it might be better to pay a mortgage fee than receive a credit: I learned from a Citimortgage officer that you may not receive the entire mortgage credit, especially if it more than covers all fees. Instead, some or all of the credit overage may be wasted. As a result, it might be better to choose a mortgage rate that comes as close to a no-cost mortgage as possible.
Here’s a conversation I had with the Citimortgage officer to clarify his rate snapshot above:
Me: A $55,077 credit looks so juicy if I go with a 3.625% mortgage rate. If the fees are still $11,955, would I get a $43,122 cash credit ($55,077 – $11,955)? Or would I actually get the full $55,077 credit after all fees? If not, where does the credit go? To a lower loan amount? Or cash back in my checking account?
Mortgage officer: In “theory” you could get that credit, but there is a restriction that the credit must cover “hard” / “legit” / “real” closing costs. Anything over that would stay with the lender. So in the real world, the way we would structure it would be to have a credit that came closest to but does not exceed the total closing costs.
In this case it would be the 3.375% note rate with a $3500 credit, meaning there would remain $14,000 and a bit of closing costs as the total cost to take out the loan would be a bit over $17,500. If you took the 3.5% note rate with the $29,000 credit, it would pay 100% of your closing costs. However, you would be leaving $11K to the bank as the costs are only $18,000.
Me: Got it. Would the remaining $11,000 credit balance on taking out a 3.5% note with a $29,000 credit be used towards lowering my mortgage balance by $11,000? If not, do I really just lose that remaining $11,000 of credit?
Mortgage officer: No, the “credit” would not go to reducing the loan amount. It is a total loss if it is not applied to closing costs. Even though we refer to the credit in terms of dollars and cents, it is more of an accounting measurement rather than “real” dollars and cents. It is a way for us to “price” the different note rates.
The notes at higher rates are more “valuable” but not so much in hard dollar terms. The intrinsic value is obtained by providing the customer with a range of options.
I would suggest you take the 3.375% in this situation. Usually, the dollar amount difference between note rates is not this extreme, but this is a large dollar amount loan, so minor rate differences result in huge differences in amounts of credits or points.
BTW all of these figures are hypothetical as the rates are old. When it comes time to lock rates, we might land at a place where we could cover, let’s say, 80% of the closing costs without “leaving money on the table.”
It’s tough to qualify for a new mortgage or refinance these days. Lending standards have become incredibly strict since the last financial crisis. However, if you can get a mortgage, then paying a small fee is better than receiving a large credit.
Ideally, you want to choose a mortgage rate that provides just enough credit to cover 100% of the cost to take out a mortgage or refinance a mortgage. Every dollar of mortgage credit you receive above the mortgage cost is wasted.
The next best thing is if the mortgage credit can cover at least 70% of the cost of the mortgage. Even if you have to pay thousands of dollars at closing, at least you’re paying a lower mortgage rate and not wasting money.
Even if you have to pay even more in mortgage costs, you may eventually still end up ahead if mortgage rates stay at the same level or increase and you hold onto your mortgage for a long enough time period.
Remember, there’s no free lunch when it comes to taking out a new mortgage or refinancing your existing one. The bank will find a way to make money off your loan. Plus, it won’t reveal exactly how much money it will make off you.
A good lender will give you various mortgage rate and fee options. From there, it’s up to you to decide which rate with which fee structure best suits your situation. If you’re unsure about anything during the process, don’t hesitate to ask your mortgage officer for clarification.
In the past, I would always try to get a “no-fee” mortgage. Any overage credit I had would be paid to me by check or electronic credit. but the amounts were less than $2,000. Now, if I ever get another mortgage, I will aim to get a “little-fee” mortgage to ensure fewer dollars goes to waste.
As for buying real estate today, I don’t think it’s wise to take on debt to buy property. Instead, I think it’s much better to be surgical in your real estate investing by dollar-cost-averaging into public REITs or private real estate funds without leverage.
My favorite real estate investing platform is Fundrise, as they offer funds focused on single-family and multi-family rental properties in the Sunbelt. With Fundrise, you can invest as little as $10 at a time.
In addition, you can check out individual real estate opportunities in fast-growing cities with CrowdStreet. CrowdStreet occasionally offers special real estate funds as well.
If inflation finally shows clear signs of turning, it will be risk on again in stocks and real estate. You want to be well-positioned for an eventually turn around. Real estate has proven to be a great long-term builder of wealth.
For similar discussions on choosing between two financial options, check out my book, Buy This, Not That: How To Spend Your Way To Wealth And Freedom. I tackle some of life’s biggest dilemmas so you can make more optimal decisions and lead a better life.
