Refinancing your mortgage has many benefits. Lowering your payment and interest rate are the obvious first reasons. However, you can also refinance for cash out to consolidate other bills and credit cards into one easy monthly payment that could save you hundreds of dollars each month. You can also use the cash out to purchase cars, home improvements, educational financing etc. With interest rates near record lows many homeowners have taken advantage of refinancing.

Remember, your situation is unique. Don’t be tricked into thinking that one particular type of refinance loan is a must have just because your friend or coworker just got “a great rate” on their latest refinance or because it was the loan your parent’s had.

Refinancing used to mean lowering your rate by two points. That simply is not true anymore. You can save money just by removing mortgage insurance or consolidating debt even at the same rate. If you are on an FHA loan you must lower your rate by at least a half a percent from fixed to fixed and by two points if you are going from fixed to adjustable.

Having your loan to value ratio change is often a good reason to refinance your mortgage. If the equity in your home has grown by a decent amount, a lender may consider your risk level to be lower. That can result in being able to have a lower interest rate.

In a low interest rate climate, many homeowners also refinance for a shorter loan term, so that they can pay off the mortgage on their homes sooner. If one can get a lower interest rate by refinancing, he can often refinance a 30 year mortgage with a 15 year loan with little to no increase to his monthly payment.

Refinancing to make home improvements is one of the best ways to build value and equity in your home. Certain additions, particularly decks, kitchens and garages, as well as a fresh coat of paint, can really raise your property's value and of course improve your quality of life. Some of these improvements can return up to 200% on the amount you borrow to invest in them, however if you do the work yourself you can create even more value, which helps your house stand out from the crowd when it finally time to sell.

When refinancing it is wise to contact your current lender first to set a benchmark of what you can be approved for and at what rate and terms.

When refinancing keep in mind that certain closing costs may be tax deductible. When refinancing and consolidating credit card debt through the refinance, also remember that mortgage interest is tax deductible while your credit card interest is not. So therefore not only can you lower your total monthly expenses by consolidating debt, but you may be able to help increase your write-offs on your end of the year tax forms and increase the amount of money you get back from the IRS.