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Buyer Beware: Have you been Fooled by Teaser Rates?

Posted September 21st, 2010 and last modified October 25th, 2010

All home loans will usually offer different interest rates with their products. Some providers will have relatively high interest rates while others will have relatively low interest rates. If you are applying for a home loan then you should be sure that the home loan you are applying for has a low rate that lasts the term of the loan. Some providers will offer teaser rates that will attract people to the product. These rates will then rise after a period of time. This article will explain why the buy should beware and how to tell if you have been fooled by teaser rates.

What is a Teaser Rate

Before we explain how to avoid teaser rates this section of the article will explain what the teaser rates are and how long are they usually offered for:

  • Teaser rate. The teaser rates that are offered by many providers are low interest rates that are offered at the beginning of a loan. These teaser rates will be low and will attract people to the loan.
  • How long are they offered for. Every provider will have different terms and conditions for their loans. Most providers will however offer the teaser rates for the first year of the loan.  

How can the Teaser Rates be Used to Trick you

There are many ways that the teaser rates can be used to trick you into a high rate loan. This section of the article will explain how the loans can trick you:

  • They may be used as the advertised rate. One way that the teaser rates can be used to trick you is that some providers will advertise the teaser rates as their loan rate. By doing this, you will be tricked into thinking that you get a low rate but after a year the rate will go up.
  • They may attract loans with higher fees. Many people will be attracted to loans with low interest rates. By advertising the low rates the provider may distract people from other features that are not desirable such as high fees. You may end up paying more than you save through these high fees.
  • They may attract loans with restrictions. Loans with low rates will attract people that are looking for a great deal. However, you should not choose a loan on the basis that it has a low interest rate. The loan itself must suit you. Many people will get a loan with teaser rates while ignoring the fact that they may not want that type of loan. By getting an undesirable loan you may find that you will pay more money in other areas.
  • They may attract loans with higher interest rates. The loans that offer teaser rates will look very cheap at first. However, many of the loans that offer teaser rates will have a high interest rate after the teaser period expires. In many cases, the savings you get with the teaser rates will be offset by the high rate throughout the rest of the loan.

Teaser rates that are offered with loans may seem to find you money. However, many of the loans that offer you teaser rates end up costing you money throughout the term of the loan. Some of the teaser rate loan will offer higher interest rates after the teaser period is over, may have other terms on the loan that are undesirable or may even charge a lot of fees.


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