A mortgage is a loan that helps you buy or refinance a property, such as your primary residence, a vacation home or a real estate investment. Examples of popular property types you could purchase include condominiums, single-family residences and townhomes. The amount that you borrow is called the principal. When you take out a mortgage, your lender charges you interest on the principal each month.
The interest is the lender’s profit, which is rolled into your monthly payments. For fixed-rate mortgages, your loan payments gradually pay off both the principal and interest based on an amortization schedule that keeps your payments the same each month.
A home loan is secured using your property as collateral. That means if you miss your mortgage payments, your lender can take your property and resell it to get their money back.
To determine how risky you are as a borrower, mortgage lenders consider financial criteria such as your credit score, proposed down payment, assets, debt and income. These details help a lender assess your likelihood of paying back the loan, which ultimately determines approval and your mortgage’s interest rate.