For both new buyers and refinancers, it's important to understand what a no-cost mortgage loan or a no-cost refinance loan really means. "No cost" does not mean that closing costs (also known as settlement costs) have been erased. It means that the closing costs will be factored into the interest rate associated with the loan. Of course, this also means that, all other things being equal, the interest rate associated with a no-cost mortgage will always be higher than one where the borrower pays the closing costs up front.
Once you know the reason for refinancing, you should ask your mortgage specialist whether or not it would be beneficial for you to refinance at this time or whether it may be more beneficial to wait.
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 have bad credit, find a lender who is willing to work with you and offer you reasonable loan terms.
Refinancing is not the only way to decrease the term of your mortgage. By paying a little extra on principal each month, you will pay off the loan sooner and reduce the term of your loan. For example, adding $50 each month to your principal payment on the 30-year loan above reduces the term by 3 years and saves you more than $27,000 in interest costs.