Refinancing may not be that useful if you have already used up 90% or more of your home value in taking out a mortgage or any home equity loan. You won't be able to get the best rates available in the market as when you refinance a 90% LTV loan, you will probably require a loan of that value or higher. This will be quite closer to being a 100% financing option and hence mortgage refinance rates will be comparatively higher. Moreover, 100% loans are hardly available in times of mortgage market crisis.
Pull your credit report from the bureaus and review it for any negative items (late pays, collections etc) and inaccurate detail. Try to dispute negative items and remove them from the report. If required pay off any unpaid debt. Otherwise, you won't get a low rate and may not even qualify. Of course there are lenders in the subprime market who may offer you a bad credit refinance loan, but it's better to avoid them as they'll possible charge higher rates and fees.
If you are refinancing from one ARM to another, check the initial rate and the fully-indexed rate. Also ask about the rate adjustments you might face over the term of the loan.
Both new homebuyers and refinancers can get free access to the credit reports that lenders use by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com, a website created via Congressional mandate. A free report from each of the three consumer reporting agencies -- TransUnion, Experian and Equifax -- is available at no cost every 12 months. Check for errors; if mistakes are found, don't hesitate to dispute any and all inaccurate and derogatory items.
If you do not plan on staying in the house very long, refinancing may not be in your best interests.
