From CNN Money, click to read the entire article
(Money Magazine) — On paper it seems like the perfect time to refinance. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage recently hit a 20-year low when it fell below 5% in mid-March. And the Fed has said that it will spend $300 billion to buy back government-backed Treasury bonds; that will probably keep loan rates low for months to come.
But wade into the mortgage market, and you may quickly feel as if you’re trying to grab a dollar in a game-show booth where the money is blowing around: Those ultralow rates are right in front of you, yet maddeningly elusive.
Lenders, grappling with deadbeat homeowners and shifting regulations, have pared back on mortgage products and upped credit requirements. Still, you have a good incentive to try: If you took out a mortgage two years ago, when rates were in the mid-sixes, you stand to drop your rate nearly two percentage points, saving almost $300 a month on a $300,000 loan. Here’s how to navigate the roadblocks.
