When a homeowner is looking for some extra cash, one of the best ways to get it is to refinance a home mortgage. It is a very smart and easy method of raising money for a variety of reasons. Here is a look at some common reasons that homeowners decide to refinance their homes.

Lower Mortgage Rate

Of course, one of the most common reasons to refinance a home mortgage is to take advantage of a lower interest rate. Taking advantage of a lower interest rate by refinancing a home mortgage can free up a significant amount of money over time. The lower monthly payments free up cash flow and allow homeowners a lot more financial freedom.

Debt Consolidation

Another great reason to refinance a home mortgage is to consolidate debt. Oftentimes, homeowners have debt that exists from a variety of sources. Many of these forms of debt have high interest rates that cost a lot of money. If homeowners are paying high monthly interest rates on debts like credit card payments, then they should refinance their home mortgages to consolidate all of their high interest debts. The money they save by lowering the average interest rate on all of their debts will save them huge sums of money over time.

Pay for Things

One of the reasons to own a home is the buying power that it gives homeowners. Refinancing a mortgage is a great way to take advantage of the asset that a home is. Homeowners can use the cash they receive from refinancing their home to pay for things like education expenses, car loans, investments, home repairs and vacations. Anytime a homeowner is struggling to pay for a big ticket item, they should consider refinancing their home mortgage in order to be able to afford it.

Pay Off the Home Loan More Quickly

When homeowners first get their mortgage, they typically are just starting out in their careers and do not have much money. This means that many homeowners sign a standard 30-year mortgage that lowers monthly payments by extending the life of the mortgage. Once homeowners start to climb their way up the career ladder, they can often afford a much higher monthly payment on their mortgages. This means that they can refinance their mortgages to shorten them into lengths of 10 or 20 years. This will allow them to pay off their mortgages much more rapidly, saving a ton on money on interest and freeing up a lot of cash in the future.

Stabilize Interest Rates

Sometimes people refinance their mortgages to avoid the wild swings that an adjustable rate mortgage brings with it. They can refinance to a fixed rate to avoid paying more money when the interest rates go up.

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The Road to Refinance

This video explains how President Obama's plan would make it much easier for millions of American homeowners to refinance their mortgage and save hundreds of dollars every month.

Is now the time to refinance your mortgage?

With interest rates still low, they only have one way to go: up, according to CBS MoneyWatch.com's Jill Schlesinger.