Mortgage Definitions: Lock In and Lock In Period

It is common to hear the terms Lock In or Lock In Period associated with your new home purchase. The terms are very important to your financing and it is important to have an understanding of them.

Lock In – An agreement in which the lender guarantees a specified interest rate for a certain amount of time at a certain cost.

Lock In Period – The time period during which the lender has guaranteed an interest rate to a borrower.

Previously, we examined different costs associated in Free Mortgage Step Right Up! These costs are either in rate and offered by the wholesaler via yield spread premium or they are paid upfront as pre-paid interest also known as discount. Each morning the investor sets the rates they are willing to sell on the open market based on their risk tolerance. They will set what they determine to be the par rate of the day and build the pricing off that rate. Par rate is generally represented with a 30 day lock defined as the lock in period.

Lock in Periods  are important because they are the time that you are given to execute the funding of your loan at the rate and the cost that you “Locked In” at. The shorter the period of the lock the cheaper the costs for the rate that you are locking in.

For Example: If you were locking the rate 4.75% today on a 15 day  lock the cost would have been .125% discount. The same rate locked for a 30 day period would have cost .250% discount. To give yourself an additional 15 days to get your laon closed it would have cost an additonal .125% of the loan amount. (this example is for illustrative purposes only and may not represent your borrowing position. Rates were on a 30 year conforming fixed rate mortgage with 740 fico, full doc on a single family residence purchase. Please consult your professional regarding your loan specifically.)

The constant change in the market require the investors to at times make midday chnages to the pricing. The imrovements can be for the better or for the worse. There are cases when more than one change can occur in a given day. If you have locked prior to the change you are safe from the change. If the rates have gotten better you are not allowed to get the better rate or pricing that it changes to. On the other hand if the pricing deteriorates you are locked in at the pricing prior to the deterioration. Pricing is time stamped so it is imperative when making a decision you are decisive. See Don’t bend over picking up pennies while dollar bills fly over you head  ! Indecision can prove to be a costly mistake.

For More Reading on Rate Locks, Lock In or Lock in Period you can also read:

Mortgage Locks: Certainly Uncertain! 3 tips to locking your mortgage.

Mortgage Rates Locking or Floating part 2 of 2 by Jeffrey Belonger

As always thank you for reading,

Matt Freeman

Don’t pick up pennies while dollar bills fly over your head!

Recently Market Watch published a statement that read: Freddie Mac: Fixed mortgage rates hit another low (Marketwatch Bulletin Published 7:29 am Thursday). At this point we are generally begging borrowers to take the lowest rates that we have seen. The paper is yesterday’s news people so when you call the following day as they publish the good rates they are gone.

Many times I cannot get a borrower to lock their rate because the media makes it appear that rates will continue to go lower. If not the media the government makes it seem that they will continue to slide. At this time I had mid to high 4’s available. Fast Forward to Friday at 3pm. The rates were low to mid 5’s. A movement of .5% in less than 36 hours.

The Moral to the story is simple: Lock Profit. If your mortgage professional says I can save you $319 don’t try to get to $350. Walk away from the table sir/mam. Don’t bend over picking up pennies while dollar bills fly over your head!

I am sorry to be out of character and rant for a moment but I cannot understand why we choose not to lock in savings and say in the same sentence that money is tight.

As always thank you for reading,