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When it comes to a home mortgage loan, you can actually pay off the loan much more quickly and save a great deal of money by simply paying a little extra each month.

If you take out a 30 year loan for $250, 000.00 with a 5.000% interest rate, for example, your monthly payment (interest and principal only) will be $1, 342.05. By the time the 30 year time period is complete, you will have paid $483, 133.89 for your home.

If you pay just $50.00 more each month, you will pay only $461, 835.60 toward your home. This is a savings of $21, 298.29. In addition, you will get the loan paid off 2 Years 4 Months sooner than if you paid only your regular monthly payment.

Exercising Additional Payment Options

When you sign on for a 30-year mortgage, you know you're in it for the long haul. You might not even think about trying to pay off your mortgage early. After all, what's the point? Unless you're doubling up on your payments every month, you aren't going to make a significant impact on your bottom line — right? You'll still be paying off your loan for decades — right?

Not necessarily. Even making small extra payments over time can shave years off your loan and save you thousands of dollars in interest, depending on the terms of your loan.

Early Loan Repayment: A Little Goes a Long Way

One of the most common ways that people pay extra toward their mortgages is to make bi-weekly mortgage payments. Payments are made every two weeks, not just twice a month, which results in an extra mortgage payment each year. There are 26 bi-weekly periods in the year, but making only two payments a month would result in 24 payments.

Instead of paying twice a week, you can achieve the same results by adding 1/12th of your mortgage payment to your monthly payment. Over the course of the year, you will have paid the additional month. Doing so can shave four to eight years off the life of your loan, as well as tens of thousands of dollars in interest.

However, you don't have to pay that much to make an impact. Even paying $20 or $50 extra each month can help you to pay down your mortgage faster. For example, if you have a 30-year $250, 000 mortgage with a 5 percent interest rate, you will pay $1, 342.05 each month in principal and interest alone. You will pay $233, 133.89 in interest over the course of the loan. If you pay an additional $50 per month, you will save $21, 298.29 in interest over the life of the loan and pay off your loan two years and four months sooner than you would have.

You can also make one-time payments toward your principal with your yearly bonus from work, tax refunds, investment dividends or insurance payments. Any extra payment you make to your principal can help you reduce your interest payments and shorten the life of your loan.

Considerations for Extra Payments

Paying off your mortgage early isn't always a no-brainer. Though it can help many people save thousands of dollars, it's not always the best way to maximize savings.

Compare your potential savings to your other debts. For example, if you have credit card debt at 20 percent or more, it makes more sense to pay it off before putting any extra money toward your mortgage that has only a 5 percent interest rate. Also consider what other investments you can make with the money that might give you a higher return. If you can make more with an investment, you can make a bigger financial impact than paying off your mortgage.