Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities
In a real estate transaction, escrow is a financial tool that is shared between all parties involved. Protecting your interests, as well as the interests of the seller and lender, is crucial for home-buyers. In other words, an escrow arrangement is basically a legal arrangement in which a third party holds a sum of money or property until certain conditions are met. During both the home buying process and the repayment of your loan depending on your mortgage, escrow may come into play.
An escrow account will hold the deposit you made in good faith that was collected prior to the closing. It will also hold the funds you deposited into the account the day you closed on the house. In addition to that, a portion of your mortgage payment that is deposited monthly is collected for the escrow account. The escrow account is used to withdraw money periodically to pay for property taxes and homeowners insurance premiums. Escrow is like a savings account, but in most states, it’s not necessary to pay interest for escrow accounts.
Any withdrawal from your account that satisfies an outstanding balance is considered an escrow payment. This could be an annual tax payment or the amount that needs to be paid for insurance premium. On the other side of the ledger is an escrow refund. If the escrow account collects more than the projected payments that will be made, you will receive a reimbursement of that amount. It is common for the escrow agent to ask if you wish to keep the over-payment in the account for future expense increases.
The account balance that remains after all payments for the year are made is called an escrow balance. The escrow agent will add up the remaining balance and the amounts that need to be collected in the upcoming year to determine if the escrow account will be able to pay all upcoming expenses. In the event that the projection indicates a shortfall, you’ll need to make extra payments to the escrow account, which will raise your monthly mortgage payment.
Whether you’re looking into buying your first home or even refinancing your current home, a mortgage calculator can assist you in comprehending your monthly payment. Understanding how your interest rate, down payment, property location, term, and other factors can affect your mortgage payment is important. Check out the mortgage calculator below and see how this tool can make calculating your estimated mortgage payment easier.
Leave a Reply