A portable mortgage is a mortgage that may be moved from one residence to another. It is particularly advantageous for people who have to transfer regularly owing to the nature of their employment. If you want to purchase a property but may have to move in the near future, then a portable mortgage is the appropriate solution for you. It provides various advantages to homeowners on the go, but it also has a few limitations that you need to be aware of. It is an excellent idea to discover how a portable mortgage operates before you opt for this mortgage solution.
The primary advantage of a portable mortgage is that you don’t have to deal with the difficulties of closing one mortgage and applying for another when you relocate. It literally saves you a lot of time and energy. More significantly, you don’t have to pay any expenses related to closing and obtaining a mortgage. You might have to pay a somewhat higher interest rate, but the cost savings obtained may be considerable, depending on how often you intend to move.
If you have a fixed-rate mortgage, then you may transfer it to your new house at the present rate of interest without worrying about any rises in interest rates that might occur when you take up a new mortgage. The loan conditions and rates from your existing mortgage do not change with a portable mortgage. This makes it highly handy when the rates are on an upward trend. You have protection when the rates climb, while a fall in interest rates provides you with a chance to refinance.
Though a portable mortgage provides some advantages to people who need to relocate regularly, it also has a few limitations that may not make it a good choice for everyone. It is provided at a higher rate of interest than ordinary mortgages. So, if you are not sure if you’ll have to move or not, it may wind up being a somewhat more costly alternative. Similarly, if you have to relocate too often, say every three years, such a mortgage may again not be the ideal solution since it can be transferred just once. For every future relocation, you will have to apply for a new mortgage altogether or a second mortgage.
A portable mortgage is also not a good idea if you are going to acquire the second property at a much greater price than that of the present home. In such an instance, there will be a huge discrepancy between your mortgage amount and property worth, which implies that the current mortgage will not be able to finance the acquisition of a new home.
In principle, transferring a mortgage seems simple, but it may be difficult, particularly if you're moving to a more costly house, and it might wind up costing you more than refinancing. Now that you know how a portable mortgage operates and when to take such a loan, you can go out and hunt for acceptable possibilities. Make sure you compare various mortgage offers to obtain the best price.
Assistant Manager, Real EstateTreadstone Associates