The biggest expense incurred by any person who takes up a mortgage is the interest component. Not many people realize this, but by the time they have finished paying off all the installment on the mortgage, they have actually paid an interest component which is significantly larger than the actual mortgage taken.

However, you can use a mortgage calculator to ascertain how much you can comfortably pay more on your mortgage taken, against the principal amount which will actually help you shorten the duration for the mortgage taken. More amount paid will ultimately pay off the principal amount spread over the duration of the mortgage apart from the rate of interest. Banks will be very happy and obliging to accept more payments, as long as you don’t default on the mortgage which is their only main concern.

Just because you have opted for a lower rate of monthly interest, you might think you will be saving on payments comfortably. This doesn’t work that way, the more spread out payments are, the more will be the interest component you end up paying. You can compare the annual mortgage rates again conventional rates just to see how much you can save initially for a period of thirty years for the mortgage. ARM’s are appropriate for some borrowers, but for other as explained earlier, the low rate of interest just might not cut it for their monthly payments.

Decide beforehand what type of loan you want to avail, because this will affect your monthly mortgage payment. The standard period for which a mortgage can be availed is generally spread out over 30 years or 15 years. In case of the 30 year period, the monthly payments are lower but will also incur the highest amount of interest rate. The exact opposite applies for a 15 year loan period where the interest component will be a little low but the payment for monthly installments will be high.

There are number of mortgage calculators available online which can be used to ascertain the exact mortgage for the home price, associated down payment and of course the loan program which is at adjustable mortgage rates. You can also talk to banking representatives to find out more about the different rates and payment options applicable, to be compared against other financial institutions also. It is advisable to do a thorough research first hand, and not just rely on a couple of sources.