How many times can I refinance my home? (2024)

There is absolutely no limit to how many times you can refinance your home. Lenders do sometimes enforce a certain waiting period of time between closing a mortgage and refinancing for a new one. If you’re looking to refinance your home multiple times then you are in luck, it’s possible to do.

How often you refinance your home depends on a number of factors and questions. Three questions I see often are the following, which I’ll try to answer for you today:

  • Is it easier to refinance with your current lender?
  • Is it bad to refinance your house multiple times?
  • Does refinancing your home affect your credit?

Answering these questions won’t only give you peace of mind when you try to refinance your home but it’ll also give you more knowledge and help you prepare your home for refinancing.

Is it easier to refinance with your current lender?

While some people argue that it’s easier to refinance with your current lender, there are both pros and cons to doing it. The main benefits that you can expect if you decide to refinance with your current lender are:

  • A positive relationship with that lender;
  • The possibility of lower fees if you have always made your payments on time;
  • A lower interest rate, once again if you have always made your payments on time;
  • Faster turnaround time on refinancing–sometimes refinancing a home can take a long time.

Additionally, if you’re refinancing your home with the same lender and worried about closing costs, you might find yourself in a better situation. Sometimes, the same lender will help to alleviate the costs of closing costs by:

Remember, this doesn’t happen all the time but it has happened before in the past and it never hurts to ask.

If none of those advantages are applicable to your situation then it might be better to look around at other options to see what you can find for lenders. Other lenders will want your business, especially if you have a good credit score and haven’t missed any mortgage payments.

In general, it’s always wise to shop around for a better deal. You don’t have to commit to anything but just looking around to see what other banks or lenders are offering can help you ensure that you have the best deal on your hands.

Is it bad to refinance your house multiple times?

Depending on how you examine the topic, it depends on your specific situation whether or not it’s bad to refinance your house multiple times. It will not hurt your credit as long as you’re able to make your payments on time.

However, there are some bad financial reasons to refinance a home multiple times. These bad financial reasons to refinance a home multiple times include to move into a longer-term mortgage, consolidate debt, or no-cost refinancing.

It is up to you to figure out whether or not it’s bad to refinance your house multiple times. If you can make it work within your own budget and financial situation then you should make the call. Financially, you need to do your research on whether or not refinancing your home multiple times is the right move for you

Just remember, besides your own financial situation, it is not considered ‘bad’ to refinance your house as many times as you want.

Does refinancing your home affect your credit?

There is the possibility of affecting your credit score by refinancing your home.

The first way this can happen is by the credit check the lender will do when you start the refinancing process. It’s called a hard inquiry and can temporarily cause your credit score to drop in the short term. This won’t just happen when a lender checks your credit score, any hard inquiry will temporarily drop your credit score.

Another way refinancing your home could hurt your credit is if you apply to several different lenders to figure out which might be able to give you the lowest interest rate. Once again, all of these lenders will do a hard inquiry on your credit and all will temporarily lower your credit score at the same time. One way to avoid this is by applying to every lender you’re considering within a very short period so your credit takes a quick and sudden dip and then recovers. If you apply to different lenders over the span of several months then there is the possibility of seeing a lasting effect on your credit score that could take years to bounce back from.

The last way you should be aware of refinancing your home hurting your credit is when you’re closing the loan that you are refinancing. Technically, your old loan is a long standing credit account and since you’ll be closing it, your credit score will receive a small hit. However, if you’re in good standing on your loan then it won’t be a significant drop on your credit score. Also, as you pay down your new loan, your credit score will begin to rise again.

There is no limit on the number of times you can refinance your home

The bottom line is that you don’t have to worry about how many times you can refinance your home. As long as you’re in good standing with your lender, you can refinance as many times as you want without consequences. It’s not considered “bad” to refinance your home multiple times and many people do it for a variety of reasons.

Refinancing your home with your current lender comes with some advantages that you’ll want to discuss and research while you’re in the refinancing process. Some of these advantages could include lower interest rates, faster turnaround time, and an overall more positive experience with the refinancing process because you already have an established relationship.

However, there are caveats when it comes to refinancing. One of them being that your credit score might take a small hit during the application for a new loan and the closing of your old one. On top of that, your lender might make you wait at least 6 months before they approve you to refinance your home.

Do your research when refinancing your home and make sure it’s in your best benefit every time you refinance.

Disclaimer:The above is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered tax, savings, financial, or legal advice. All information shown here is for illustrative purpose only and the author is not making a recommendation of any particular product over another. All views and opinions expressed in this post belong to the author.

How many times can I refinance my home? (2024)

FAQs

How many times can I refinance my home? ›

There is no limit to how many times you're allowed to refinance your mortgage, though a lender might enforce a waiting period between when you close on a loan and refinance to a new one.

Is there a limit to how many times you can refinance? ›

Legally speaking, there's no limit to how many times you can refinance your mortgage, so you can refinance as often as it makes financial sense for you. Depending on your lender and the type of loan, though, you might encounter a waiting period — also called a seasoning requirement.

Can I refinance my loan multiple times? ›

However, if you have all private loans and a good credit score, refinancing could be a smart money move, especially if you have trouble keeping up with multiple loans or have a higher interest rate. You can refinance as many times as you'd like as you improve your credit score and qualify for lower rates.

What is the rule of refinance? ›

Historically, the rule of thumb is that refinancing is a good idea if you can reduce your interest rate by at least 2%. However, many lenders say 1% savings is enough of an incentive to refinance. Using a mortgage calculator is a good resource to budget some of the costs.

How long do you have to wait to refinance a house again? ›

In many cases, there's no waiting period to refinance. Your current lender might ask you to wait six months between loans, but you're free to simply refinance with a different lender instead. However, you must wait six months after your most recent closing (usually 180 days) to refinance if you're taking cash out.

Does refinancing hurt your credit? ›

Refinancing will hurt your credit score a bit initially, but might actually help in the long run. Refinancing can significantly lower your debt amount and/or your monthly payment, and lenders like to see both of those. Your score will typically dip a few points, but it can bounce back within a few months.

Can you refinance a mortgage as many times as you want? ›

You can refinance as often as you wish, as long as you're getting some financial benefit. However, there are limits to how many times you can refinance each year depending on the loan program, whether you're tapping equity or not and your breakeven point.

How much equity do you need to refinance? ›

Conventional refinance: For conventional refinances (including cash-out refinances), you'll usually need at least 20 percent equity in your home (or an LTV ratio of no more than 80 percent).

Is it expensive to refinance a mortgage? ›

Refinance closing costs commonly run between 2% and 6% of the loan principal. For example, if you're refinancing a $225,000 mortgage balance, you can expect to pay between $4,500 and $13,500. Like purchase loans, mortgage refinancing carries standard fees, such as origination fees and multiple third-party charges.

What happens to your mortgage when you refinance? ›

Refinancing the mortgage on your house means you're essentially trading in your current mortgage for a newer one – often with a new principal and a different interest rate. Your lender then uses the newer mortgage to pay off the old one, so you're left with just one loan and one monthly payment.

What is the 80 20 rule in refinancing? ›

The LTV limit (known as the loan-to-value ratio limit) for a single-family property is 80%. That means you need to keep a minimum of 20% equity in your home when you do a cash-out refinance.

What should you not do when refinancing? ›

Refinancing too often or leveraging too much home equity

Avoid making the mistake of refinancing excessively to land a low interest rate. The charges to refinance repeatedly could add up over time, negating the benefits. Be wary of also leveraging home equity too often.

Is 2024 a good year to refinance a mortgage? ›

Overall, refinancing could be a viable option for some homeowners in 2024, but the reality is that many existing homeowners have lower-than-average rates already. And if you're buying a home now with the expectation that you can refinance next year, that can be risky, as rates don't always follow predictions.

What will interest rates do in 2024? ›

Interest rates vs inflation
Top bank savings rate*Fed-funds target range
January 20245.50%5.25% to 5.5%
February 20245.50%5.25% to 5.5%
March 20245.50%5.25% to 5.5%
April 20245.55%5.25% to 5.5%
8 more rows
2 days ago

Is it a good idea to refinance your home? ›

Refinance to a loan with a lower interest rate can save you money in the long-term. Refinancing typically entails costs, such as closing costs. Consider staying in the home long enough to recoup the costs of refinancing. Getting rid of the cost of private mortgage insurance (PMI) is one good reason to refinance.

How often can you refinance in a year? ›

Or you may want a cash-out refinance, borrowing against the built-up value of your home to pay for remodeling or other things. And the fact is, you can refinance as often as you want, but some lenders look for a “seasoning” period between home loans, or a certain amount of time between appraisals.

How often can you remortgage your house? ›

Yes, you can remortgage multiple times over the course of your mortgage term as technically, there's no limit to the number of times you can remortgage. Some people choose to remortgage every time they reach the end of a fixed-rate deal. However, fixed-rate mortgages won't be right for everyone.

Can you refinance a 15 year mortgage to a 30 year? ›

If you originally got a 15-year mortgage but find the payments challenging, refinancing to a 30-year loan can lower your payments by as much as several hundred dollars each month. Conversely, if you have a 30-year mortgage, a 15-year term can help you build equity much faster.

Can I refinance after 3 years? ›

You can refinance as often as it makes financial sense

Many lenders enforce a six-month waiting period between your last mortgage and when you can refinance. But if you have a conventional loan, and you're not taking cash out, you may be able to refinance sooner simply by using a different lender.

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