Understanding Rate Locks
As a smart consumer, you want to capitalize on the lowest possible interest rate when choosing a mortgage loan. But as ever-changing as the mortgage lending industry is, it's not always so easy. With interest rates changing as often as they do, choosing the right time to lock in can be difficult. It's times like these you need to rely on a trusted Lake of the Ozarks mortgage lender to help you through the process. But first it's important to understand how rate locks work. What is a 'Rate Lock'? When you're promised a "rate lock" from the lender, it means that you are guaranteed to keep a specific interest rate for a certain number of days for your application process. This keeps you from going through your whole application process and finding out at the end that the interest rate has gone up. Rate lock periods can vary in length, anywhere from fifteen to sixty days, with the longer ones usually costing more. A lender may agree to lock in ...