In this weekend's Real Estate section, the Times had an article on the increasing popularity of 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages: "Brokers and mortgage industry executives say that these loans are becoming especially popular among people who want to shed debt more quickly, and in light of the current economic atmosphere, that goal is perhaps more widely applicable than ever. Of course, debt shedding comes at a price. Those borrowing $400,000 on a 15-year loan, with a 4.375 percent interest rate, the average rate earlier this month, can expect to pay about $3,034 a month, compared with about $2,056 a month for a 30-year fixed-rate loan with a 4.625 percent average rate. (The payment excludes costs like property taxes and insurance.) Because a 15-year loan also has 180 fewer interest payments than a 30-year loan, the borrower with that 15-year loan would pay $194,000 less in interest over the life of the mortgage." Any readers considering them over 30-year loans?
Photo by Rev Dan Catt
