Mortgage Refinances is it right for me?

Unlock your equity or slash your mortgage payments with ease—refinancing could be your smartest yes.


Refinances, when is it a good time to take advantage of the market.

Refinancing your mortgage can be a useful tool when trying to access your equity built up in your home or if you are just trying to take advantage of improved mortgage interest rate markets. Buying a home is one of the best things you can do for your future wealth building but managing the finances of a home are much easier than most people may think. Did you know that you can refinance your home with 2 different types of loans, rate/term refinance and cash out refinance. A rate/term refinance loan is where you just swap loans you get a new loan with favorable terms and payoff your current loan. Rate/term refinances can be beneficial to many homeowners looking to lower their mortgage payment or their mortgage term. Many homeowners utilizing rate/term refinances are typically in one of a few situations they are in a mortgage loan with a higher interest rate, a shorter mortgage term or they have an older mortgage that has been paid down for many years. Refinancing out of a mortgage loan with a higher interest rate is pretty obvious a homeowner is trying to achieve a lower mortgage payment by lowering the mortgage interest rate this is a simple cheap and effective way to keep your mortgage payments low and can be done at almost anytime the market rate is a half percent or lower than your current rate. Some home buyers opt for shorter mortgage term loans and this is a great way to accumulate equity in your home but it comes with a significantly higher monthly mortgage note. After a few years of making this payment some home owners feel the need to have a lower mortgage note usually to accommodate changes in their life, either new jobs or kids and sometime divorce regardless going to a 30 year mortgage can provide much needed relief. The same changes in life can also attribute people to wanting to refinance a thirty 30 mortgage note to a 20, 15, or 10 year mortgage term to start building equity quicker. Finally many people having lived in their home for many years and paid down their mortgage note may opt to get a new 30 year mortgage with the same or lower rate but a significantly reduced principal loan amount this will provide them a significantly lower mortgage payment and allow them to continue to live int he home that they love.

The second type of refinance is called a cash out refinance, this is a refinance loan that allows a homeowner the ability to take advantage equity in the home. These loans can be utilized by a home owner who has significant equity in a home, this loan will allow you to get a loan and receive a check or wire at closing. The cash out refinance loan does have some rules that apply to it for instance conventional financing requires 20% equity in the home before taking out one of these loans, meaning if your home appraises for $400,000 the max loan you could receive would be $320,000 so you would have to owe less than $320,000 to benefit from this refinance type. Also there is a homeownership seasoning period of at least 6 months passing from he purchase date tot he date of the new loan as well as if you have a loan on the home currently it would have to be seasoned with at least 12 monthly mortgage payments before you could pay it off and refinance into a cash out loan.


In the mortgage world we have a saying "marry the home, date the rate" this saying has several meanings. Home buyers often get caught up in fees and interest rate and they use those two factors to influence the timing of one of the largest financial decisions of their life time. At Swift Lending we are not saying that rates and fees are not important but what we are saying is that the biggest factor to be considered when buying a home is the home itself. The housing market has buyer's markets which consist of times where supply is high and demand is low buying in this time will typically yield the best deal for the buyer. Buyer's markets align with metrics that symbolize a weaker economy, higher interest rates and By marrying the home and dating the rate you can take advantage of buyers markets acknowledging upfront that you will not be keeping the mortgage for more than a few years. This one acknowledgment will allow you to take advantage of slower markets with lower prices, acquiring a home in this market before the flip can happen will give you ownership during the flip allowing you to get the highest appreciation. Seller's markets occur when interest rates are low and demand is high, homes are appreciating and typically selling at over asking price. The most recent seller's market was from 2020-2022 mortgage rates were incredibly low and homes were being sold within days of being listed sometimes even before they were officially listed. Seller's markets make it difficult to find a deal as a buyer.

Conventional Fixed Rate Mortgages (FRM)

This is the most common & widely used loan product available, it is generally used by home buyers and home owners when they are looking for the safest & lowest rate mortgage loans.

Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM)

Adjustable rate mortgages or more commonly referred to as ARM loans are a great mortgage product for an experienced home buyer. This loan type generally has a fixed interest rate for a short period of time, generally speaking 3, 5, 7 or 10 years, then the rates will adjust with the market for the remainder of the loan term. The rates will adjust between a rate floor and ceiling, the floor is the start rate and the ceiling is typically double the loan amount. These loans are great for experienced homebuyers expecting to move in a short period of time.

Construction Loans

Construction loans are used to help people & LLC's rehab existing homes & build new homes. These loans typically involve the builder bringing cash to close and then the loans distribute your money through a draw process as different milestones of the construction process are completed.

Home Equity Loans

Home equity loans come in 2 loan products, refinances of a current home's mortgage with a cash distribution at closing that comes from the homes existing equity or a HELOC (home equity line of credit) this loan product leaves any current mortgage in place and allows for the distribution of cash from the home's equity. You can utilize both of these loan products on homes/properties that have been bought with cash or paid off. Also these loan products are available for the home you live in or own as an investment.

Jumbo Loans

Jumbo loans are designed to help home buyers & owners who need to finance more than a conventional loan will cover, estimated to be $802,650 for the year 2025. Jumbo loans come in both fixed & adjustable rate programs and generally require 20% down but can be found with 10% & 15% down payment but will require significant discount points.

Refinance Mortgage Loans

Refinance loans come in two products rate term refinance and cash out refinances. Rate term refinance loans are mortgage loans that refinance a current loan on a home in order to lower the interest rate, move from an ARM loan or extend or shorten the term. Cash out mortgage loans are used for homeowners wanting to access their equity that their home has accumulated through years of ownership or appreciation. Cash out loans are also used by homeowners who have paid off their homes or bought their home with cash.

FHA Mortgage Loans


FHA loans are mortgages that are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), most commonly used by first time home buyers and home buyers with lower credit scores. FHA loan have more lenient underwriting standards, lower interest rates and higher mortgage insurance costs. These allow FHA loans to help a wider group of home buyers usually having lower credit scores & higher debt to income ratios.

Reverse Mortgage Loans

Reverse mortgage loans are distributed by FHA and utilize many of FHA's underwriting standards designed for home owners and home buyers who are over age 62. Reverse mortgages allow home owners to sell their home and then continue to live in them either collecting a monthly payment or a lump sum of cash at closing. For people age 62 and older the revers mortgage also allows them to buy a home with a down payment and then not have any monthly mortgage payments. These loans do have strict rules around residing in the home and are not intended to be passed down to your heirs.

VA Mortgage Loans


A VA mortgage loan is a home loan that's guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to help veterans, service members, and their families buy, build, improve, or refinance a home. VA loans allow for zero down payment, lower interest rates and waived mortgage insurances making it easier for veterans & active military to buy homes.

Self-Employed Borrowers

Self employed home buyers are welcomed to utilize all loan products inside all loan programs. Being self employed does come with a little more scrutiny from underwriters as their income is much more diverse than W2 employees. Most self employed borrowers will not face any issues once their income is calculated and confirmed.

Borrowers With Considerable Assets

Asset depletion is a newer loan product designed for homebuyers age 62 & younger. Typical income calculations involve taking 75% of a homebuyers liquid assets and dividing that number by 360 and then using that number as monthly income.

Real Estate Investors

Real estate investors are a group of home owners that own multiple homes and act as landlords to the people they rent the homes to. Conventional, portfolio, & non conventional loan programs all have loan products for real estate investors. These products make investing in real estate easier and do require larger down payments, some programs even allow for light & major rehabs to be done on the property.

Foreign Buyers

Unlock the opportunity to own property in the United States with our specialized foreign buyer mortgage programs. Whether you're purchasing a vacation home, an investment property, or a primary residence, we make the lending process simple and accessible for international buyers.

At Swift Lending, we understand the unique challenges foreign buyers face, such as U.S. credit requirements, income verification, and financing limitations. Our team specializes in guiding non-U.S. citizens, expatriates, and international investors through the mortgage

Buyers With Blemished Credit Histories

Buyers with blemished credit will most likely need to get the blemishes reversed before being able to buy a home. Low credit scores typically fall into three categories. Number 1 is something bad happened a long time ago and the client gave up on credit altogether. Group number 2 is typically just sloppy credit multiple instances of minor credit issues and group three is you are currently missing payments. All three can be remedied rather quickly with group three being the most difficult because it involves cash.

Contact Info

Phone: 832-549-2859

Address: 105 Spruce St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

NMLS# 232825

Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, looking to refinance, or interested in building your real estate portfolio, Swift Lending is here to help. Let's work together to find the perfect mortgage solution for you.

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