Most people who dream of buying their own house usually look to financing to help themselves own a home. But owning a home isn’t as simple as shopping around for a house, applying for a loan then paying off the mortgage. Even as banks and lending institutions are aggressively attracting customers by offering lower interest rates, you should still give this enough thought before making a final decision.

It is better to investigate around and ask about what types of credit are open in the market that may suit you. It is impossible to have a perfect loan that will work for everybody. There will always be one loan type that will work better for you than another. Decide first on what you want for a home in order to have the best type of loan you should choose.

Low Income House Hunter

If you want to purchase a house but you don’t qualify for a loan because you currently have low income, then a temporary buydown may be the right loan for you. A temporary buydown is ideal for people who are cash-strapped for the moment but expect to enjoy an increase in income in the near future.

The most popular types of temporary buydowns are the 3-2-1 buydown loan and the two-to-one buydown mortgage. In a 3-2-1 buydown, the interest rate increases by one point each year for the period of three years. After that, the rate becomes fixed throughout the life of the loan. The same is the case for two-to-one buydowns except you lower the interest rates for a period of two years.

These types of loans need the borrower to spend a bit more money at the early part of the loan duration. These little sacrifices are needed for you to be awarded the credit.

Move In, Move Out Buyer

You want to own a home but aren’t entirely sure how long you’ll be staying in a given area. Either your job requires you to be assigned to different cities, or you plan to later on sell your home. If this describes your current situation, then you are better off getting delayed adjustable rate mortgage (delayed ARM).

When you take out a delayed ARM, you’ll be paying fixed monthly payments longer than temporary buydowns. For example, if your delayed ARM is 5-1, then the interest rates won’t change for the first five years. It will only change on year six onwards. The change will depend on market conditions and your agreement with the lender.

For those looking to settle down

If you’re planning to settle down somewhere for good, then a fixed-rate mortgage is best for you. Fixed-rate mortgages have interest rates that won’t change for the lifetime of the loan, meaning you’ll be paying a fixed amount every single month. Getting a fixed-rate mortgage with low interest rates is a great idea, since you won’t have to pay more even when market rates rise.

You can either get a 30 year or 15 year fixed-rate mortgage. A 30 year mortgage will afford you lower monthly payments than a 15 year-fixed, but you end up paying for more, overall, on the former.