How Soon Can You Refinance Your Home After You Buy?

by Jennifer Johansen 07/01/2018

If you have just purchased a home, you have the option to refinance your home soon. Just because you can refinance your home doesn’t mean that you should. How long you should wait to refinance your home depends on a few things including:

Your refinancing goals
The rules of your lender
If your mortgage has a pre-payment penalty clause

Goals

Your goals for refinancing are among the most important things when considering whether to refinance. Lenders typically won’t refinance a loan that you have secured in the last 120-180 days, so if you’re looking to lower your monthly payments, you may have to shop for a new lender.

The Type Of Loan You Have

If your financial situation has changed, it may be smart to change the type of loan that you have. Oftentimes, changing the rate and the terms of the loan can give you the extra freedom that you need for your loan and your life.

Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster

If you do a cash-in refinance, this could be a smart way for you to build equity for your financial future and help you to secure a lower rate for your mortgage. Keep in mind that FHA loans are a bit different when it comes to paying down your mortgage. The FHA streamline program requires that you wait a minimum of 6 months before you refinance.

Pre-payment Penalties

Before you refinance your home, you’ll need to double-check to ensure that your mortgage doesn’t have a pre-payment penalty. If you do have one of these clauses included in your loan agreement, you should consult your lender to make sure that refinancing is a smart move for you.

Lender’s Rules

Every lender has different rules as to how quickly you can refinance your mortgage. You may also need to meet certain qualifications in order to go ahead with the refinancing.

As tempting as it can be to try and get a lower mortgage rate, you may want to hold off on refinancing for a variety of reasons. Remember that every time you refinance your home, you’ll need to pay closing costs and other fees. While it may be a savings in the long term, it could cost you some up front cash.

The best course of action is ideally to shop for a lender and a mortgage rate that will suit your needs from the beginning. While no one can completely predict a changing market, you can shop around and find the right rate and loan for you at the time.

Refinancing

About the Author

Jennifer Johansen

Jennifer is passionate about the Real Estate business, and has been involved in related family businesses in construction, architectural millwork, and finance for 20 years. She and her husband relocated to Naples, from New York, 10 years ago, although her family has owned property on Marco Island since the 1980's. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Dual Master's Degree in Counseling and Education. She has acquired many necessary skills that are useful in Real Estate from being in the field of Counseling for many years. She holds the belief that building rapport is vital to helping her clients have a positive experience, while achieving their goals. She is very thorough and detail oriented, and has formed many close relationships with professionals in related fields, such as law, title insurance, home inspectors and other contractors. She aims to offer concierge- level service to her clients at every price point. When time permits, she enjoys spending time with family and friends. Having grown up on the South Shore of Long Island, and enjoying her summers on Fire Island, she loves any activity related to salt water, boating and the beach. Additional hobbies include gardening, art, and studying nutrition, wellness and naturopathy. She is knowledgeable about Naples and Marco Island Real Estate, in estate areas, golf/gated communities, and waterfront properties. She is a member of The Naples Board of Realtors and Marco Island Area Association of Realtors.