How to Refinance a Mortgage With Bad Credit

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Author: Brandon R. Cornett

Article source: http://www.articledeshboard.com/. Used with author's permission.

A common question among homeowners looking to refinance is, "Can I refinance my mortgage loan with bad credit ... and if so how?"

The short answer is yes, you can certainly refinance your mortgage loan with bad credit. The longer answer is that you must go about things differently than a homeowner with good credit. And you'll need to make sure that refinancing the mortgage makes financial sense, given your bad credit situation.

We will talk about refinancing a mortgage loan with bad credit in a moment. But first, let's talk about the reasons why people refinance in the first place. Everything will make more sense if we start with this.

Why Do Homeowners Refinance?

Mortgage refinance is always a popular topic among homeowners. Many homeowners feel the lure of lower interest rates and seek to refinance their mortgages in order to capitalize on lower rates. If done properly, the refinancing process can lead to significant savings over the life of the new mortgage loan. Another reason people refinance is to get cash out of their home. This is known as a "cash-out refinance."

Mortgage Refinance Benefits - Time for Math!

When deciding whether or not to refinance a mortgage, you have to do a little bit of math. Fortunately, there are a plenty of mortgage refinance calculators online to help with this process. We have one such calculator in our Resources section. Basically, you want to make sure they money you save over the life of the new mortgage (after refinancing) surpasses the amount you'll pay to obtain the new loan (closing costs). If not, there's really no point in refinancing.

Bad Credit Refinancing

Okay, so now we know the basic deciding factors for refinancing. Now let's talk about ways to refinance a mortgage loan with bad credit. The most important thing to keep in mind here is that the interest rate on your new mortgage loan (after refinancing) will not be as low as it would for a homeowner with good credit. So the same basic math applies -- you should calculate your savings post-refinance based on the interest rate you qualify for, and see if those savings surpass the amount you'll pay to refinance the mortgage loan.

That's really all there is to it. Just remember this. When deciding whether or not to refinance your mortgage with bad credit, you need to get all the numbers up front in order to do the math. Find out (A) what your closing costs will be on the mortgage refinance, (B) what interest rate you will qualify for, and (C) how long you'll have to make payments under the new interest rate so that your total savings surpass your closing costs.

Protecting Yourself

Some mortgage lenders claim to specialize in bad credit mortgage refinance loans. Most do so legitimately, but a few companies out there use bad credit situations as a way of taking advantage borrowers. In the mortgage industry, these are referred to as predatory lenders. But you can protect yourself from such unethical lenders by continuing your mortgage refinance education, asking the right questions, doing the math up front, and getting everything in writing!

I hope you have enjoyed this brief tutorial on mortgage refinancing with bad credit, and I wish you the best with your financial future.

* You may republish this article online if you retain the author's byline and the active hyperlinks below. Copyright 2007, Brandon Cornett.

Brandon Cornett is the editor of Mortgage Refinance Advice, a collection of tips, articles and resources related to home refinancing and similar topics. Get more refi advice by visiting www.mortgage-refinance-advice.com