When it comes to buying their dream houses, people often turn to financing. But it’s not easy to look for a nice home, get a loan to buy it, then spending the next several years paying off the mortgage. Don’t get swayed into a false sense of security even when banks and moneylenders give you very low interest rates — you’ll still need to do your homework.

It is best to also shop around for the different kinds of loans available. People buy homes for different reasons and you should evaluate your own as well as your needs and preferences to make sure you choose the right housing loan.

Are you a low-income house hunter?

One can have difficulties on acquiring a loan because your salary does not pass for it. When this happens, you can resolve to a temporary buydown. Temporary buydown refers to a type of credit given to people who currently have low salary but will soon get a raise.

The most popular types of temporary buydowns are the 3-2-1 buydown loan and the two-to-one buydown mortgage. In a 3-2-1 buydown, the interest rate increases by one point each year for the period of three years. After that, the rate becomes fixed throughout the life of the loan. The same is the case for two-to-one buydowns except you lower the interest rates for a period of two years.

When you apply for a buydown, you are going to be required to pay extra money in advance in exchange for the lower rate. The lending agency will then “allow” you to be eligible for the loan.

For those looking for temporary housing

Do you want to acquire a house but are not certain on permanently settling in a specific place? If yes, try having the delayed adjustable rate loan (Delayed Adjustable Rate Mortgage or Delayed ARM). This is suitable for people who are always moving from one place to another or those who are planning to sell the house after paying it off.

In delayed ARMs, borrowers pay fixed monthly payments for a longer period of time before the loan starts to adjust. For example, if you take out a 5-1 ARM then the interest rate on your loan stays the same for the next five years. The interest rate starts to adjust on year six and every year after that for the rest of the term. How much your interest changes will depend on market conditions.

For those looking to settle down

For people who are planning to finally stay in one place for good are best to have the fixed-rate loan. This type of mortgage has interest rates that remain constant for the whole loan duration, meaning you will only be paying the same amount of money every month until you are with the loan. It is a great idea to get this type of loan with low interests for you will not be charge higher if the market rates increases.

Fixed-rate mortgages come in 30 or 15 years. Both will have you pay the same amount, but the longer one will charge you a lesser monthly fee.