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Adjustable rate mortgages (ARM), developed when mortgage interest rates were high, can help you finance the purchase of a home with low interest rates. An ideal choice for those who expect their income to rise or move in a couple of years, an ARM also increases your risk for higher payments. Fortunately, lenders also offer safeguards to limit some of your risk to excessively high interest rates.

ARM Features

An ARM starts with a low interest rate, up to 3% lower than a fixed rate mortgage. With lower rates, you usually qualify to borrow more than with a fixed rate home loan.

ARMs usually start with a fixed rate period and end with fluctuating yearly interest rates, increasing or decreasing your monthly payment. So a 3/1 ARM means 3 years of fixed rates with interest rates changing every year after that. Interest rates are based on an index, usually the rate on the T-bill or LIBOR, and the margin the lender adds to the index.

ARM Safeguards

In order to protect borrowers from sky-rocketing monthly payments, mortgage lenders put in place safeguards. For example, a point cap limits how much interest rates can rise monthly and over the life of the loan. There are also ceiling limits on how low rates can go, protecting the lender.

Another safeguard is a dollar cap on monthly payments. However, if interest rates rise higher than the dollar cap allows, you may end up with a longer loan. Many financing companies also allow you to convert your ARM to a fixed rate mortgage after a predetermined period.

ARM Considerations

While an ARM has many benefits, there are other considerations to look at. For instance, interest rates can rise 4% or more over the course of your home loan. If you plan to stay in your home for several years, a fixed rate may offer lower interest costs in the long term. ARMs are also unpredictable, which makes planning long term financing goals difficult.

Before you apply for an ARM, make sure you are comfortable with the level of risk involve. However, if you expect your income to rise in the future or to move, then you may be saving yourself a lot of money in interest payments with an ARM.

An effective tool used by home buyers, ARM or Adjustable Rate Mortgages, offers a lower interest rate at the beginning of the loan and the risk of a hike in rates is shared by the borrower and lender.

ARM, is ideal if you are certain about rising income expectations and short-term home ownership. There are four basic aspects. One is that the initial interest rate is fixed 1-3 percentage points lower than fixed rate mortgages. Second there is what is known as adjustment interval, when after the initial period has elapsed the rate is modified in keeping with prevalent rates. Third, an index against which lenders can measure the difference between the interest earned on the loan and what would be earned in actuality in other investments. And, fourth, the component added by the lender to the index, usually 1.5-2.5 percent.

An ARM has in addition, safeguards like interest rate caps. This limits the amount of interest rate that can be applied to the payment during adjustment. Normally this cap would be about 2% point cap over the life of the loan.

ARM is ideal when it lends you buying power. You can opt to buy a property with a higher value and still pay a lower initial monthly payment. If you know for certain that you will reside in the house you are buying for a maximum of 5-7 years then ARM is the mortgage that will save you money. If you are prepared to take risks then ARM offers the greatest possible savings especially if the rate stays steady or declines over the years.

ARM is a calculated risk as there are no certainties. However if at the end of five years your plans change and you are about to continue in the same home for another 10 years then it is prudent for you to switch from ARM to a fixed rate mortgage.