5 Steps to Getting on Top of your Mortgage

Getting on top of your mortgage so you can pay your loan off faster and potentially save thousands of dollars on your home loan is possible with a plan and consistent effort. There are mortgage reduction strategies that you can put into place that will ensure that your loan is paid off more quickly without putting a huge strain on your current budget. The following tips are designed to help you pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible.

1. One of the most important things you can do to accelerate paying off your mortgage is to make a more frequent repayments. If you can arrange to make weekly payments as opposed to monthly payments you'll actually end up making the equivalent of 13 monthly payments each year instead of 12 therefore saving you money by reducing the term your loan. In order for this to be effective it is important that you make sure that your home loan has interest that is calculated daily. You do not want a home loan that calculates interest on an average monthly balance.

2. The second thing you should do to speed up paying off your home loan is to make extra payments whenever possible with any extra money but you might come by. For example you might use your tax return, a bonus from work, or an inheritance to make an extra lump sum payment on a loan. This will go a long way toward reducing the principal of your loan. If your loan has a redraw facility you will have the flexibility of being able to access these extra payments if necessary.

3. Another thing you can do in order to reduce the principal of your loan is to have your regular income paid directly into your loan balance. You could then use a credit card to pay your daily expenses. At the end of each month you can then withdraw the money using the redraw facility and pay off the credit card. By keeping this money on your loan for as much time as possible you will be reducing both the term of the loan and interest that you're paying.

4. You can have an immediate impact on the principal of your mortgage on the day that you settle by simply making your first payment that same day.

5. Continue paying at least the original installment amount even if interest rates drop causing your repayment installments to drop also.

If you follow these strategies regularly over the term of your loan you will significantly reduce the mortgage as well as the interest you pay.

Copyright 2005 by Robert Scott, LoanSense.com.au

Check out Robert's LoanSense website that is dedicated to helping borrowers get the best possible deal on a Home Loan in Australia.