Upon deciding on applying for a mortgage loan it is important that you be aware of the housing loan interest rate that you will be required to pay during the term of the loan. There are times when buyers get too excited about the idea of purchasing their own home that they tend to overlook the interest rate incorporated into the loan. They only begin to notice this after a few years of paying their mortgage, and by this time the rates may be too high, especially if the loan has a variable interest rate. If you are faced with such a situation it is best that you call your mortgage provider and have the contract explained to you in detail. If you feel that it is too high, your loan manager may present you with other options such as refinancing in order to be able to save on your mortgage payments.
It is also important that you understand the principles of mortgage rates or interest percentages before you decide to apply for a mortgage loan with a certain bank. A loan manager will present you with four housing loan interest rate packages to choose from: SIBOR, SOR, fixed interest rate, and variable rate. There are many other interest rate packages that may be offered by banks, however, these four are the most popular among property shoppers. The Singapore Interbank Offered Rate (SIBOR) and Swap Offer Rate (SOR) pegged mortgage interest rates both fluctuate according to the changes in the international market. SOR pegged interest rates tend to fluctuate more because it reacts to the ever changing foreign currency exchange rates. For this reason, SIBOR is deemed as more stable as compared to SOR. However, there are instances when SOR pegged mortgage rates can suddenly drop without any warning and can be even lower than SIBOR pegged rates.
A fixed housing loan interest rate is another popular choice by those who are shopping for mortgage loans because it is not affected by economic changes in the world market. Those who choose this mortgage rate package will continue to pay a fixed rate of interest regardless of how the world market is doing for the duration of the mortgage loan.
The principles of a variable housing loan rates for interest are a little harder to understand because it varies from bank to bank. You may find banks that offer lower variable interest rates than others, while some charge higher than usual. This is because variable rates of interest depend on a lot of factors, including your credit background, your ability to pay, and your standing as a Singapore citizen. It is important that you thoroughly understand the computation before you agree to the terms so as to avoid paying more than what you can afford.
To get a mortgage rate that is most suitable for your financial situation, make sure that you thoroughly research about the current mortgage rates in the market before you start doing your mortgage loan shopping. Patience and determination are also very important because running in and out of banks to meet with housing loan managers can be a tiring and time consuming task. Everything becomes worthwhile however when you are able to land a housing loan rate package that is right for you.