The best way to refinance a mortgage: 6 Tips to save money

Save money on your mortgage refinance costs

The mortgage refinance process can be intimidating and costly.

The goal is to trade in your current mortgage for a new one that reduces your rate and builds equity faster.

But making mistakes during the process can increase your costs and undermine your goals.

The best way to refinance is to know the most common mistakes and how to avoid them. Here’s what to do.

In this article (Skip to...)

• Optimize your credit
• Comparison shop
• Cash-out carefully
• Run the math
• Know your home’s value
• Negotiate rates and fees
• Refi process
• Mortgage refinance FAQ

6 Tips to get the best mortgage refinance

A big part of refinancing your home is finding the lowest interest rate. This will maximize your savings and make your home refinance all the more worth it.

But that’s just one part of the equation. There are multiple strategies you can use to get the most out of a refinance. Here are the best practices you should be following.

1. Optimize your credit score

Your credit history is one of the most important criteria lenders look at when you start the mortgage refinancing process.

A one-point credit score increase — from 679 to 680 — could reduce your mortgage fees by one point. That’s $1,000 for each $100,000 borrowed.

Purging errors with a rapid rescore could also raise your credit score by as much as 100 points in less than a week.

In a recent survey of nearly 6,000 consumers, more than a third of survey participants found errors in their credit reports. And almost 12% of the survey’s participants found errors that would affect the interest rates they get on loans.

Higher interest rates increase the monthly payments and long-term cost on your new home loan. So it’s in your best interest to find these credit errors and correct them ahead of time.

Before you start a refinance, order your credit reports from Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Federal law allows consumers one free credit report each year from each bureau.

Immediately report any errors you find. The bureau must remove any credit line it can’t prove is yours.

2. Comparison shop for the best mortgage refinance rates

A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) survey discovered that nearly half of all homeowners requested a mortgage quote from just one lender.

Consumers who received rate quotes from multiple mortgage lenders cut their interest rate by as much as 50 basis points (0.50%).

That’s more than $14,000 in mortgage interest savings on a $300,000 loan balance over 10 years.

Your current lender or local bank may not offer your best refinance option. Compare rates and fees from three to five mortgage lenders before you decide on one.

3. Tap home equity carefully

About one-in-four homeowners are “equity-rich,” according to a recent study.

That means they have at least 50% equity in their home — money that can be tapped with a cash-out refinance to accomplish other financial goals.

But one common mistake is using that equity to finance short-term expenses.

For instance, a car with a five-year life may not justify a 30-year mortgage loan. You’d still be paying off that car more than 20 years after you stopped owning it.

“Not to mention, if you are buying a new car, often there are car financing rate offers better than a mortgage,” says Jon Meyer, The Mortgage Reports loan expert and licensed MLO.

Likewise, a home refinance is an expensive way to pay for a month-long cruise. And while using equity to pay off high-interest credit card debt can create monthly savings, you could still be paying off that debt for decades.

Homeowners may receive more value by investing their equity in home improvements, a college education, or a promising business venture with proceeds from a cash-out refinance.

Will your equity, if tapped, yield long-term returns? If the answer is “yes,” then a cash-out refinance might be your next step.

Or, if you’re looking for a shorter-term way to borrow against your equity, consider getting a home equity loan or home equity line of credit (HELOC) instead of a cash-out refi.

4. Make sure your refinance is worth it

A refinance is typically worth it if you can lower your interest rate and payment or get another financial benefit, like cashing out equity or switching from an adjustable-rate mortgage to a fixed-rate loan.

But a refi isn’t always the right decision.

Here’s why: Frequent refinancing extends the mortgage term again and again.

Remember, a refinance after five or 10 years “resets” the loan, often to 30 years. The rate and monthly payment may fall dramatically, but you could still pay more over the life of the loan.

Plus, you’ll likely have to pay closing costs with each new loan unless you find a no-closing cost loan program.

Sometimes the lowest possible mortgage payment is priority one for a homeowner with limited cash flow. Perhaps a divorce, layoff, or illness reduced income. In these cases, extending the loan term could be a wise move, even if it does cost more in the long run.

But financially stable borrowers should focus on lifetime savings instead of lower monthly payments.

One strategy many homeowners employ is to refinance into a mortgage with a shorter term. That’s why 15-year term refinances are growing in popularity

Or, you could simply make additional principal payments to avoid extending your repayment time frame. With this strategy, you don’t have to commit to the higher monthly payments a 15-year mortgage would require.

5. Know your property value

Home values rose steeply during the pandemic. The median price of a home in February 2022 was just over $392,000 — up about 13% from a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors.

This rise in the median price of a home may have increased your equity, but you’ll need to find out for sure before beginning your refinance process.

Without an accurate estimate of your home’s value, you could easily pay too much to refinance the mortgage.

If your estimate is too low, you can overlook savings opportunities. Adequate equity lets you eliminate private mortgage insurance (PMI) or obtain a lower interest rate.

Conversely, if your estimate is too high, you may not get your desired mortgage rate. Less equity increases your loan-to-value ratio and can mean higher rates.

That being said, some loan products do not take your home’s value into consideration.

• The FHA Streamline Refinance does not require a home appraisal, and it is available to current FHA homeowners. You can’t get cash out, but you can replace your original mortgage with a lower-rate loan, creating monthly savings
• Likewise, if you have a VA loan, the VA Streamline Refinance or “VA IRRRL” does not require a new home appraisal and therefore doesn’t take your home equity into account when determining your eligibility for a refinance

However, if your type of loan requires documented home value, there are several ways to obtain a realistic estimate so you’ll know the value of your home going into the refinancing process.

Online valuation tools have improved. Even better, you can request a Broker’s Price Opinion (BPO) or Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) from a local real estate agent. The cost, if any, is a fraction of a typical home appraisal fee.

6. Negotiate rates and fees with refinance lenders

You don’t have to accept a refinance offer “as is.”

In addition to interest rates, many fees may be negotiable. Multiple offers may persuade lenders to compete against each other for your business.

Third-party fees like title, escrow, and origination fees may be negotiable, depending on your state’s laws.

Provided you have good credit and do a little comparison shopping, you should have enough leverage to bargain for a better deal.

“Convincing a lender to negotiate may be a difficult task to accomplish, but you never know if you don’t ask,” adds Meyer.

When should you refinance your home?

A refinance simply means you trade your current loan for a new loan that is better in some way.

Before you begin refinancing your home, determine your goals. Here are a few common reasons why borrowers refinance.

• Lower your monthly expenses. Some homeowners refinance to lower their monthly mortgage payment or interest rate
• Tap home equity. Some refinance to turn pent-up home equity into needed cash
• Remove unwanted mortgage insurance. Other homeowners want out of an FHA loan so they can stop paying mortgage insurance premiums. And for those who made a down payment of less than 20% on a conventional loan, removing private mortgage insurance (PMI) before reaching 78% loan-to-value may be a priority
• Own your home faster. Still others refinance into a shorter term, like a 30-year loan into a 15-year mortgage. And many homebuyers who got an adjustable-rate mortgage want to refinance into a fixed-rate mortgage

Step by step: The best way to refinance a mortgage

Whatever your reason, any refinance is completed with essentially the same process:

1. Make sure the refinance benefits you. Know your ultimate goal and see if you can achieve it. If you need a lower rate, make sure current rates are low enough. If you need cash out, make sure you have enough equity
2. Contact a lender. Yes, this can seem scary. But, by law, there is never any obligation to proceed with a refinance. You can cancel the whole thing up to the day before closing! But a lender, in minutes, can give you a loan estimate with an accurate rate quote, check your credit, and send you numbers in writing
3. Shop for rates. You could reduce your rate by as much as 0.50% by contacting a few different lenders and discussing different loan options
4. Make a full application with your chosen lender, which includes providing supporting documents such as bank statements, tax returns, and so on
5. Sign initial disclosures that the lender will send you. Verify loan terms on the disclosures. Make sure you are still accomplishing your goal (lower rate, cash out, shorter term, etc.)
6. Submit loan conditions. The lender will submit your paperwork to the underwriter, who will request additional needed items, if any
7. Sign final paperwork which the lender prepares. Your closing will be facilitated by an escrow company
8. Wait three days. This is the rescission period — a “cooling off” stage in which you have the chance to cancel the refinance at no cost. (Remember: your current loan is still intact, and no changes have been made to it. Simply continue making payments)
9. Check with the lender on the fourth day. The loan will “fund,” meaning it’s a done deal. Your previous loan has been paid off in full
10. Start making monthly payments on the new loan. The first payment will be due 30 to 60 days after funding

Follow these steps, and you should be able to meet your refinance goals — whether you want to save money with a low rate, pay off your mortgage balance faster, or cash out your home equity.

Mortgage refinancing FAQ

What are today’s mortgage rates?

Mortgage rates are low and continue to sit below historical levels. Today’s rates combined with refinancing best practices yield solid value for homeowners.

Request a refinance rate today to see how much you could save.