An adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) is a mortgage with an interest rate that starts fixed for an initial period, then adjusts periodically based on market conditions for the remainder of the loan term. A common structure is the 7/6 ARM: the rate stays fixed for seven years, then adjusts every six months after that based on a benchmark index plus a set margin.
ARMs get an unfair reputation as risky, largely from how they were used before the 2008 housing crisis. Used deliberately, they’re a legitimate tool for a specific kind of buyer.
An ARM is worth considering if:
Once the fixed period ends, your rate adjusts based on a benchmark index, plus a margin set by your lender. Most ARMs include caps that limit how much your rate can move:
These caps exist specifically to prevent the kind of runaway payment increases that gave ARMs a bad reputation in the past. Understanding your specific caps before you sign is one of the most important parts of evaluating any ARM offer.
A fixed-rate mortgage gives you one number for the life of the loan. An ARM gives you a lower number for a set number of years, followed by a number that can move. The trade-off comes down to a simple question: does the lower initial payment outweigh the uncertainty that comes later?
For a buyer who’s confident they’ll sell or refinance within the fixed period, an ARM’s lower rate can mean real savings with limited actual exposure to the adjustment period. For a buyer who isn’t sure how long they’ll stay, that uncertainty carries more weight and a fixed rate usually makes more sense.
Before committing to an ARM, it’s worth having clear answers to a few questions:
Chris walks through each of these with every ARM client before they sign anything, so the decision is made with full visibility into what happens after year seven, not just what the payment looks like on day one.
