Jennifer Johnson, Mortgage Loan Officer at OnPoint Mortgage - NMLS #502197

Discount points are considered a form of interest. Each point is equal to one percent of the loan amount. You pay them, up front, at your loan closing in exchange for a lower interest rate over the life of your loan. This means more money will be required at closing, however, you will have lower monthly payments over the term of your loan. To determine whether it makes sense for you to pay discount points, you should compare the cost of the discount points to the monthly payments savings created by the lower interest rate. Divide the total cost of the discount points by the savings in each monthly payment. This calculation provides the number of payments you'll make before you actually begin to save money by paying discount points. If the number of months it will take to recoup the discount points is longer than you plan on having this mortgage, you should consider the loan program option that doesn't require discount points to be paid.

Closing costs on a mortgage or home equity line of credit generally include title insurance, flood certification and an appraisal.

To access your mortgage information in Digital Banking, log in and select your mortgage account from the home screen. Here you will see all of your recent mortgage payments and transactions. For more details, click the "Details" tab and select the Payment Options and Loan Info link.

Talking to your lender first can save you the time and frustration of finding a house that you can't afford. By speaking to a lender early in your home buying process, you can find out what you can afford in a house and get prequalified and preapproved. Your lender can also help answer questions about the steps you can take to improve credit or increase savings in order to be better prepared for home ownership.

Prequalification is a rough calculation of the mortgage payment you can afford based on the information you provide to your Mortgage Loan Officer. Preapproval means you're essentially ready to start shopping for a house as you have formally applied for the mortgage, and we've determined that you are eligible for a mortgage of a certain amount.