Mortgage Term:

Over the course of your amortization period, you may have many different mortgages. The term is simply the length of time that interest rates, payment schedules and obligations to the lender exist. When the term comes to a close, you will have the option to renew your mortgage (taking into account current market conditions) at your current or new lending institution. You can also put a lump sum toward the principal without restriction, or pay off your entire mortgage without penalty. If you wish to change the structure of your agreement during the term you may have to pay a substantial fee to the lender.

Choosing Security or Flexibility:

Mortgages are available with closed, open and convertible options, with fixed or variable rates. The options you choose will reflect your beliefs about the market — is it going up or down? — and your short-term goals and desire for long-term security.

Amortization

This is the amount of time over which the entire debt will be repaid. Most mortgages are amortized over 15-, 20-, or 25-year periods. The longer the amortization, the lower your scheduled mortgage payments, but the more interest you pay in the long run.

For payment comparison over various amortization periods, refer to the schedule of payments.

Schedule of Payments:

There Are Ways to Reduce Your Interest Payments

1. Negotiate a shorter amortization period. (That’s the number of years over which you’ll pay off the total amount of the mortgage. Don’t confuse this with the term of the mortgage, which can run from 6 months to 10 years and must be renegotiated.) A shorter amortization period will mean higher monthly payments, but you’ll be paying more principal with each payment. Consider this:

Let’s say you borrowed $100,000 at 10% interest. (I’m using round numbers for ease of illustration and assuming a constant bank rate. You know that today, you’ll certainly be able to get a lower rate.)