For 13 years, Jack and Jill have been so busy fetching pails of water that they never bothered refinancing. Now it's early in 2005, and they qualify for a rate of 6 percent. They still owe $84,000 on their mortgage and they want to grab $20,000 cash to pay for Jack's cranial surgery. They could refinance $104,000 at a cost of $623.53 a month for 30 years, allowing them to pocket the $20,000.
Over 30 years they would pay $120,471.72 in interest.
Or they could refinance the $87,000 at a cost of $503.62 a month, then take out a $20,000 home equity loan at 5.5 percent for 20 years. That would cost $138 a month. Added together, they would pay $641.62 a month for 20 years, then $503.60 a month for the last 10 years. Total cost over 30 years: $113,797.41.
With the latter option, they would pay a bit higher payment for 20 years, but will save about $6,674 over 30 years. Which option they take is a matter of personal preference.
When you decide whether to do the cash-out refinancing option, keep in mind that you'll have to pay private mortgage insurance if you end up borrowing more than 80 percent of your home's value. If you would have to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI), it might be cheaper to take out a home equity loan.
Spend wisely, dear friends
Even before you do the math, it's best to take a close look at how you plan to spend the money from cash-out refinancing. Specifically, is the cash for a short-term purpose or a long-term purpose?If you're going to make payments for 15 or 30 years, it makes sense to spend the money on something enduring: an addition to the house that will increase its value, potentially lifesaving experimental medical treatment that your health insurance won't pay for, or to start a business.
Maybe you want the cash so you can bulldoze a mountain of high-interest credit card debt. Yes, you're paying a lower interest rate and you can take a tax deduction, but you're probably lengthening the time it would take to pay off the credit card debt.
In essence, you're taking 30 years to pay off credit card debt that you might have been able to tackle in five or 10 years by cutting other expenses or taking out a shorter-term home equity loan.
Don't break the piggy bank -- you're living in it.