blog

How to Manage a Mortgage Effectively

November 14, 2023

Mortgage payments continue to remain the biggest monthly expense for many, and not everyone can manage a home loan effectively. No matter whether you wish to purchase a home to live in or for investment purposes, you need to prepare yourself ahead of time. Fortunately, if you know how to manage mortgage payments effectively, you can make the most of your money and pay off your mortgage in a time-bound manner.
 

Make Timely Payments

Data released by Statista indicates that the United States experienced a spike in its mortgage delinquency rate during the second quarter of 2020, touching 8.22%. It stood at 9.3% during the subprime mortgage crisis that ravaged the nation from 2007 to 2010. Fortunately, by the first quarter of 2023, this number dropped to 3.5%.

Keep in mind that late payments lead to delinquencies, which can result in foreclosure.According to ATTOM, 185,580 properties in the U.S. faced foreclosure filings in just the first half of 2023, a substantial increase from 164,581 in 2022.

While making mortgage payments on time is crucial, many end up making late payments or miss making payments due to a variety of reasons. A simple way to avoid this problem is to set up automated payments, where transfers take place from your bank account before each due date. If you’re wary of setting up automatic payments, you can set up reminders on your phone to ensure you don’t miss your due date. If your paycheck comes after your mortgage bill due date, you may ask your lender to change it to a date that is more in line with your pay schedule.
 

Create and Stick to a Budget

The cost of owning a home is often more than your mortgage and utility payments, but following a proactive approach can help you manage your finances effectively. First-time homeowners need to remember that they will be responsible for fixing the problems that used to be their landlord’s headaches in the past. This can also be the case if you upgrade to a larger home because maintenance costs tend to increase with the size of a property. In any case, you need to account for all unforeseeable costs.

It comes as no surprise that one of the top tips to manage a mortgage is to come up with a budget and ensure sticking to it long term. A good way to move forward is to follow the 28/36 rule. In this case, you should spend no more than 28% of your monthly income toward housing, which includes mortgage payments, taxes, and insurance. In addition, you should spend no more than 36% of your monthly income in repaying all your debt, the mortgage included.

Homeowners who are unsure about how to manage a mortgage may start by calculating their net income and tracking their spending. By monitoring your fixed and variable expenses, you will have a better understanding of the costs you can cut back on. Set up spending limits for different categories of expenses. Remember that you might need to make some adjustments to stay on track. You also need to keep reviewing your budget regularly to account for any changes in your financial situation.

Part of working on and sticking to a budget requires that you keep a close eye on your furniture expenses. As tempting as it might appear, steer clear of making expensive purchases that can increase your overall debt and hamper your ability to manage your mortgage effectively.
 

Pay More Toward the Mortgage

It is common practice for homeowners to make 12 mortgage payments per year. By choosing to make bi-weekly payments, you end up making 26 payments over a year. This allows you to make an additional payment each year, lowering the principal amount faster with less interest. Many feel this is the most brilliant way to pay off your mortgage quicker than usual and save in the process.

Another way to pay more toward your mortgage is to round up. For example, if your monthly payment is $1,718, consider paying $1,800 or $2,000 each month. Alternatively, you may increase the amount you pay each month by a few dollars. For instance, you could go from $900 to $910 to $920 and so on. In both scenarios, you stand to save a tidy sum as interest and pay your mortgage off sooner.

Keep Track of Insurance and Property Taxes

Many people don’t realize the cost of homeowners’ insurance and property taxes tend to increase every year. It is particularly important to keep track of insurance costs if you’re paying them through your mortgage because while you might sign up for what seems like a good deal early on might turn into anything but as the years roll by. In some instances, insurance premiums can increase by 10% to 20% in a year. If you find your insurance costs increasing significantly, it might be in your best interest to shop around and look for other alternatives.

When it comes to property taxes, there’s a good chance your municipality will keep increasing them every year. If you think that the taxes you’re paying are not in line with your home’s existing value, you may consider filing a tax grievance petition. In this case, your property’s existing value should be lower than that calculated by the assessor.

The overvaluation of some properties in urban areas results in high taxes. Bear in mind that this assessment is not the same as an approval, and it takes place only from a taxation perspective. If you feel the assessment is incorrect, you may request a reassessment. If the reassessment works in your favor, you benefit by paying lower taxes.

Recast Your Mortgage

If refinancing your mortgage is not an option because your current rate is lower than existing rates, you may look at what recasting has to offer. To recast a mortgage, you need to make a large lump-sum payment to your lender who then re-amortizes your loan. While this helps bring the balance down, there are no changes in the terms of the loan. The result is that you start paying much lower monthly payments and owe less in the form of interest.

Conclusion

Conclusion Now that you’ve gone through the tips to pay off a mortgage early, determine which option might work well for you based on your specific situation. For example, if can afford to, you may make extra payments toward your mortgage to save on interest charges and pay it off sooner. In addition, you need to ensure that you make all your payments on time.

If you plan to get a new mortgage, make sure you discuss your specific situation with a reputable mortgage provider, as this gives you the means to make a well-informed decision.