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Buy-Down When the lender and/or the home builder subsidized the mortgage by lowering the interest rate during the first few years of the loan. While the payments are initially low, they will increase when the subsidy expires. These are sometimes used to qualify borrowers for a loan amount that they would not otherwise qualify for but will be able to pay in subsequent years as their income increases. | |
Fannie Mae A common term used in real estate finance taken from FNMA (Federal National Mortgage Association). It provides a market for government secured mortgages held by primary lenders and provides them with a ready market so as to permit a greater turnover of money for loans | |
Interest-only payments Mortgage payments that include only interest. No loan amortization occurs and, thus, the homeowner does not accrue any equity (unless the home value increases). | |
Refinancing The process of paying off one loan with the proceeds from a new loan secured by the same property. The main reasons for refinancing is to better the borrower with a lower interest rates, loan term reduction, switch to or from a fixed or ARM loan, receive cash out, debt consolidation, or to eliminate a balloon payment. | |