line of credit personal mortgage

GarthChapman

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#2
If I am interpreting this correctly it sounds like a break-even proposition - ie taking on new debt to pay down debt and interest. So where is the advantage, unless the mortgage interest rate is higher than the LOC interest rate - unlikely these days.
 

Nir

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#3
Hi Garth, Kennicoll,

The advantage is it will improved his cash flow because he will only pay interest on the LOC portion he uses to make an additional mortgage payment instead of interest + principal on that same amount when it is part of his mortgage.

However, it is not a recommended approach by most investors as the improvement in cash flow is small relative to using the same LOC amount to purchase real estate.

Regards,
Neil
 

GarthChapman

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QUOTE (investmart @ Aug 9 2008, 08:53 PM) Hi Garth, Kennicoll,

The advantage is it will improved his cash flow because he will only pay interest on the LOC portion he uses to make an additional mortgage payment instead of interest + principal on that same amount when it is part of his mortgage.

However, it is not a recommended approach by most investors as the improvement in cash flow is small relative to using the same LOC amount to purchase real estate.

Regards,
Neil

Let`s look at the math to see if I am understanding what is being proposed properly.

If Kennicoll makes an extra mortgage payment by borrowing money from a LOC, and then makes an interest payment on the LOC also, remembering that future mortgage payments are not reduced by making the extra payment, Kennicoll`s cashflow is reduced by the amount of both those payments added together.

The gain here is a long term one by virtue of the interest ultimately saved on the mortgage through making the extra mortgage payments. I see this as trading paying dollars today for saving dollars down the road.
 

Nir

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#5
Hi Garth,

Yes, if future mortgage payments are not reduced by making the extra payment then you are correct. However, I thought it depends on the timing and just before renewal for example it does affect your mortgage payment. The idea is simple: compare interest payments (LOC) VS. interest + mortgage payments (mortgage).

Regardless, I agree it`s a bad choice in 99% of the cases as it is not the reason investors apply for LOC :)

Regards,
Neil