The interest-only option can also be useful when you are consolidating credit card debt and need to keep your monthly payments to a minimum. In months when you have extra cash, make an additional payment toward principal. As you retire debt, make that extra principal payment a monthly habit!

Generally the interest rate on an interest only loan is slightly higher than that of a loan that includes interest and principal.

The interest only payment may also let you afford a slightly more exspensive house then you could afford with a standard principal and interest payment. Ask your mortgage broker for information on interest only programs and there benifits.

A fixed rate interest only loan allows you to have a low interest rate and pay a low payment. Usually homeowners understand they will need to refinance in the future. This is because there interest rate will increase after the fixed period and they have had no principle reduction.

Interest only loans are great for real estate investors. They help real estate investors maximize their cash flow. Interest only loans are also very good for people in professions that know within a certain amount of time they are going be making a considerably higher income (such as a doctor, becoming a partner at a firm, knowing you are going to be accepting a higher position within a certain time, etc...)Interest only loans also can help homeowners to maximize their own cash flow in order to invest money into retirement accounts, pay off high rate debt, start a savings account, etc...

You will continue to have the option of paying more than "interest-only." However it is a good option to have in order to have a lower required payment when needed.

The balance of the mortgage that you take out on an interest only loan will always remain the same if you pay the interest only payment. A $150,000 loan that is an interest only loan and only the interest payment is made for 5 years will still have a $150,000 balance.

Interest Only mortgages require payments of only the interest amount incurred in the initial few years. The most common Interest Only mortgage has a 10-year interest only feature, in which the mortgagor only needs to pay the interest accrued every month. For example, with the $200,000 loan at 6.5% fixed interest rate, the mortgagor only needs to pay $1,083 per month ($200,000 X 6.5%, divided by 12 months). After the 10-year interest only period, the loan is amortized to be paid off in the remaining 20 years.

Because the loan is re amortized to a 20 year note your payment will jump significantly compared to the 30 year amortized interest only loan.