Interest-Only ARM

Categories: Mortgage

Simply put, it’s when you only pay the rent on the dough you borrowed; you don’t pay down the principal.

Like…if you have a $300k mortgage at 6% interest, you’re paying 18 grand a year to rent that money. But it’s likely due in 30 years, so (in theory, anyway) if it were a normal mortgage, you’d want to pay down the principal as you go along.

Like averaging 10 grand a year in principal paydown. Thirty years. Times 10 grand. That's $300k. Owning your own home. Yeah. Priceless.

So why would you want an interest-only mortgage?

Well, for one thing, the monthly payments are less.

If on a 30-year, $300k loan at 6% you’re paying interest only, you’re writing a check each month for $18k divided by 12, or 1,500 bucks. Maybe that’s all you can afford. The extra 500 bucks or more you’d write to pay down your principal is just not something you really can do right now. Maybe after 3 years of scrimping and saving, you’ll be able to start paying down that principal, reducing risk and making life easier all the way around.

The other reason you might want an interest-only mortgage is that interest costs are tax-deductible; principal pay-down costs are not.

So if, in a given mortgage payment of, say, $1,500 a month, where $300 of it is principal paydown and $1,200 is interest, only the $1,200 is deductible. And if you’re a 40% taxpayer, the government is essentially picking up $480 in tax savings on the $1,200 in interest you're paying, such that you "feel" like the $1,200 is really only $720 a month in costs to you.

The $300 in principal paydown feels like a full $300, so some people seeking to optimize their tax deductions live in the world of interest-only mortgages and let the government, for a change, work for them.

Related or Semi-related Video

Finance: What is Interest Only Mortgage?17 Views

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Finance allah shmoop what is an interest only mortgage Well

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simply put it's when you only pay the rent on

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the dough you borrowed you don't pay down the principal

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you owe like if you have a three hundred thousand

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dollars mortgage at six percent interest you're paying eighteen grand

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a year to rent that money in six percent times

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three hundred rands eighteen grand a year But the principal

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you borrowed is likely due in thirty years So in

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theory anyway if it were a normal mortgage you'd want

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to pay down the principal little bit a month as

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you go along like averaging ten grand a year in

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principle pay down over thirty years That's times ten grand

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right three hundred grand their total owning your home at

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the end yeah yeah priceless that's what holmes work So

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why would you want an interest only mortgage Well for

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one thing the monthly payments or less so maybe you

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could afford morehouse If on a thirty year three hundred

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thousand dollar loan at six percent you're paying interest only

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while you're writing a check each month for eighteen thousand

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divided by twelve or fifteen hundred bucks maybe that's all

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You can afford well the extra five hundred bucks arm

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or you'd right toe pay down your principles Just not

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something you can really do right now Maybe after three

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years of scrimping and saving well you'll be able to

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start paying down that principal reducing risk and making life

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easier all the way around But right now you can't

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afford it so the only thing you can do is

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do the interest only dance Well the other reason you

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might want an interest only mortgages that interest costs are

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tax deductible Principal pay down costs are not so if

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in a given mortgage payment of say eighteen hundred bucks

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a month where three hundred of it is principal pay

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down and fifteen hundred of it is interest well on

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ly the fifteen hundred is tax deductible That three hundred

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of pay down is not And if you're a forty

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percent taxpayer the government is essentially picking up the tax

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savings on the fifteen hundred times a forty percent at

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six hundred dollars in interest You're paying such that they

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quote feel unquote like the fifteen hundred is really only

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about nine hundred a month in cost to you the

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three hundred bucks and principal paydown feels like a full

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three hundred dollars So some people seeking tio optimize their

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tax deductions live in the world of interest only mortgages

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and let the government for a change You know work 00:02:26.24 --> [endTime] for them How's that feel same all Take it

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