Mortgage types: Fixed vs. variable, 30-year and other loan terms, and more
When buying a home, you’ll face a host of choices. You may be debating a smaller home or condo in the city versus a larger one in the suburbs. You might be weighing school districts, looking at proximity to relatives, or factoring in your commuting time. But you’ll also have to decide how to pay for your home.
Assuming you don’t have several hundred thousand in cash lying around (or some really generous relatives), you’ll be taking out a mortgage. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 74% of home buyers—and 91% of first-time buyers—financed their home purchase in 2024.
Key Points
- You can choose a mortgage with an interest rate that stays the same or one whose interest rate changes over time.
- Historically, the standard loan term has been 30 years, but there are other options.
- A mortgage calculator is a great way to project how a particular home loan will fit into your budget.
Mortgages come in all shapes and sizes—each with its own repayment profile and set of rules—designed for specific budgets and life circumstances. As you weigh each choice, think about how long you plan to be in the home, how current interest rates compare to historical averages, and how you prioritize building home equity versus minimizing your monthly payment.
Common (and not-so-common) mortgage types
When selecting a mortgage, first-time homebuyers often think in terms of the monthly payment and little else. But mortgages come in several shapes, sizes, and payment plans.
Fixed rate mortgage
The majority of homebuyers—80% to 90%—choose fixed-rate mortgages. With a fixed-rate mortgage, you know your monthly payments will be the same for the life of the loan. Common loan terms are 30, 20, and 15 years.
How long do you want to be paying off your mortgage? The loan term you choose will depend on how much money you can budget for loan repayment each month. There are a few advantages to taking a shorter-term mortgage. For starters, you’ll pay it off and own your home sooner. And most of the time (but not always) you’ll be offered a lower interest rate than you would on a longer-term loan.
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As anyone who’s paid off a mortgage will tell you, it’s an amazing feeling to be unencumbered by that monthly payment. Sure, you’ll still be on the hook for property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and utilities, but the monthly mortgage payment is frequently the biggest line item on a monthly budget, so paying it off can open up a lot of budgeting flexibility.
A longer-term loan, on the other hand, not only comes with a higher interest rate, but also more payments, meaning you’ll pay more overall for your home—much of it in interest. But because your principal payments are spread over 30 years, the overall monthly payment is lower. That allows for its own level of budget flexibility.
Adjustable rate mortgage (ARM)
An adjustable rate mortgage, or ARM, comes with an interest rate that will change periodically based on an interest rate index.
How an ARM could lower your payment
Suppose you’re buying a $550,000 home with 20% down, financing $440,000 over 30 years, and comparing monthly payments for a fixed-rate mortgage with a 10/1 ARM:
- 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 7%: $2,930 a month
- 10/1 ARM at 6%: $2,640 a month
Monthly savings: About $290
10-year savings: Nearly $35,000
That kind of difference could free up room in your budget—or help you build equity faster. Just keep in mind that once the fixed-rate period ends, the interest rate on an ARM can adjust annually based on market conditions.
People who choose an ARM typically do so because it comes with an attractive introductory interest rate. How long that rate lasts will be spelled out in your loan documents, and sometimes in the shorthand description of the loan. For example, a 5/1 ARM will keep its original rate for five years, and then readjust every year after that.
The risk is that you could end up with much higher monthly payments on your loan than you expected. However, many ARMs have limits on how much they can raise their rates, called initial adjustment caps and interest caps. These terms are worth reviewing if you’re considering an ARM.
If you plan to be in your home for a shorter term—say, five years or less—but you still prefer to own rather than rent, an ARM might be your best bet.
Balloon mortgage
A balloon loan is structured with lower monthly payments until the very end of the mortgage term, when you’ll be required to pay off the balance in one giant payment—at least twice the monthly payment, and usually many times that amount. At that point, you’ll be faced with a big decision and a big risk: You can pay off the balance, take out a new loan at the prevailing rate, or sell the home. With a balloon mortgage, you’ll have to ask yourself whether those lower payments are worth the risk.
Jumbo mortgage
A jumbo loan is for a mortgage balance above the “conforming mortgage” limits set by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). For 2025, the conforming ceiling is $806,500 in most places, and $1,209,750 in areas deemed “high cost.” Jumbo mortgages used to come with much higher rates than conforming loans, but that’s no longer the case. In fact, because many jumbo mortgage borrowers have high credit scores, the rate difference is often negligible.
Piggyback mortgage
“Piggybacking” is when you take out two loans: a mortgage and a home equity loan or home equity line of credit. The mortgage is to pay for the home, and the second loan is to help you make a 20% down payment on that home. By having that 20% down payment, you can avoid the cost of mortgage insurance.
Interest-only mortgage
An interest-only mortgage—as the name implies—requires you to pay only the interest portion of a conventional mortgage, which means you’re not paying down the principal balance. Interest-only mortgages came under fire in the wake of the 2007–08 financial crisis for exacerbating the severity of the housing market meltdown. They’re not nearly as popular nowadays. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are no longer allowed to purchase these loans, which means the lender must keep the loan on their books.
Calculating your mortgage payments
How much you can afford to borrow for a home depends on your budget. Consider your household finances now and in the future to help you make the right decision about the type of home you want to buy, and how to pay for it.
One place to start is with a mortgage calculator (see the “Loan Calculator” sidebar on the right). How much home can you afford? To get a starting point, put in the amount of your loan (the price of a house you have your eye on, minus the down payment you plan to put down). Next, select your mortgage term and the published interest rate for that mortgage type, and set the payment to monthly. Do you like what you see? Keep in mind, your rate will vary depending on your credit score, whether you’ll need to pay for private mortgage insurance (PMI), and other factors.
And if you’re considering an ARM or other nonstandard mortgage, be sure you check the numbers before you sign.
The bottom line
Buying a home is a long-term commitment, so it makes sense to know your options when signing a mortgage. The terms of that mortgage will affect your monthly budget for years to come, so be sure to run the calculations, shop around, and ask questions before you take out a mortgage.
References
- Mortgages Key Terms | consumerfinance.gov
- Understand Loan Options | consumerfinance.gov
- FHFA Announces Conforming Loan Limits for 2025 | fhfa.gov