Find financial freedom by paying off your home early
I just paid off my home mortgage last month, one month before my 40th birthday. Sound surreal? It's not.
You can do it too. Find your financial freedom in your 40s by paying your home mortgage off early too! Here are the strategies I used to pay off my 30 year fixed rate mortgage early...
1. Don't Carry Credit Card Debt
The first step in this early mortgage payoff journey is all about being fiscally responsible. Don't buy more than you can afford. Don't carry a balance on your credit cards. Pay your credit cards off every month. If you already have credit card debt. Stop overspending and start paying it down. The best thing to do is not get into that position in the first place, but if you are already starting from a negative position, it might make this a little harder.
2. Rent an Apartment that Allows You to Save
This next step might be a little hard to swallow, but don't go out and rent the best apartment you can afford. Rent an apartment that is a little below your means. This will allow you to start saving for the down payment for your house. If you rent an apartment that's just below what you're earning, you won't leave any money leftover each month for your house. If you have another means of making your monthly rent cheaper, like sharing an apartment with a roommate - go for it. The less you spend on that monthly rent bill, the more money you'll have left to put in your savings account for your house.
3. Don't Waste Too Much Money on Rent
This one is a little tricky, but it's important to get it right if you want to pay off your mortgage before 40. You want to stay in an apartment long enough to save up your down payment, but you don't want to stay in an apartment too long because you really are just throwing that money away (or really just putting it into someone else's property and pocket). So the sooner you purchase a home, the sooner you can start putting your money into your own property (and the sooner you can pay it off).
4. Buy a House that Costs Less Than You Can "Afford"
This step is key in being able to pay off your mortgage before 40. If you buy the most expensive house that your lender will let your purchase, this strategy won't work for you. If you get approved for a $450K loan, don't buy a $450K house, buy a $250K house. If you get approved for a $250K loan, buy a $150K house. If you get approved for a $750K loan, buy a $500K house. You get the point. Don't buy the most expensive house you can buy, buy something that's a bit less costlier than the bank thinks you can afford. (This will help you with #7 later.)
5. Put Down a Decent Down Payment
You want to have a good down payment to put into your home, since that will jump start your payoff process, but the thing you are really trying to avoid here is PMI (private mortgage insurance), basically the insurance you're required to pay when your down payment is too small. Typically you need at least a 20% down payment in order to avoid PMI. There are some other creative options in avoiding PMI, like taking out 2 loans for instance. Talk to your mortgage broker about what all your options might be to avoid PMI. You really need good credit to have all of the best options in this case. (That's why #1 is so important.)
6. Get a Good Interest Rate
Got a favorite bank you really love? Forget them. The best way to get a good interest rate for your home loan is with a mortgage broker. Mortgage brokers will shop your loan to all of the banks to find the very best interest rate for you. They can also keep you apprised of the mortgage rate on a daily basis (since it fluctuates) if you are looking for a slightly lower rate than what is available today. Trust me, tenths of a point will matter on how much you pay for your monthly payments (especially since you are financing your home for 30 years)!
7. Pay More Than the Monthly Minimum
This step might be a little hard at first since your income will be pretty close to what you can afford, but if you listened to step #4, you should have a little extra money each month. If you ended up getting two loans, put all of your extra money each month into paying off the smaller loan first, then work on the larger loan. Let's say you have just one loan. If your mortgage is $800 a month, try to pay $1000 a month instead (just pretend that's what your payment is so you don't have an option to not pay it). If you can't afford $1000 a month, make it $900 a month. Pay more than your actual mortgage every month. This in an of itself will literally shave years off of your mortgage. If your mortgage is $1100, pay $1500 every month instead. If you can't afford $1500, pay $1200 every month. The point is to set a realistic number that you can afford, and just commit to paying that higher monthly payment every month. As your income increase, commit to paying a little higher payment each month.
8. Refinance to a Shorter Term (and Better Interest Rate if Possible)
After you've had your mortgage for a few years, you may be able to afford an even larger monthly payment. If so it might be a good time to refinance your loan down to a shorter term (assuming the interest rates are still good - or maybe lower than your original loan). If you can afford the higher monthly payment and the interest rates are just as good or lower than your original 30 year loan, you could refinance your mortgage into a 15 year mortgage, or a 10 year mortgage. I actually refinanced mine down twice. If the interest rates are not favorable (better than your first loan), this would not be a good option. Instead just continue to pay a higher monthly mortgage payment as your income increases to continue shaving years off of your mortgage.
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