When you obtain a home mortgage refinance spread over a longer time period than that remaining on the original mortgage, unless you have opted for obtaining cash out at closing, you will have a lower monthly payment. This feature can be most helpful if your income has dropped significantly, yet you want to remain in the same home. A lower home mortgage required payment allows you to apply extra money to paying off the principal, or you can use the extra funds for other purposes, such as retirement savings, recreation or creating a business or emergency fund.
Another common reason for a home mortgage refinance is when there is a significant reduction in interest rates from the time you obtained the original mortgage. You may have obtained your original mortgage when interest rates were higher, or you may have had to pay higher rates due to credit issues that have now been resolved. Obtaining a refinance loan with lower interest rates will be in your best interest when the savings in rates offsets the cost of the loan refinance. This can often take a year or more at the new rates before the savings begin to take effect.