A mortgage is the loan that you take out to pay for a property. The loan is split into the capital and interest. The capital is the amount you have actually borrowed to buy the property, and the interest is the amount the lender charges you for the privilege of borrowing. There are various types of mortgages, but in general the two main types are repayment mortgages and interest only mortgages. Repayment mortgages are ones that require you to pay back the capital and interest each month. Interest only mortgages require you to pay just the interest each month and then the final capital amount at the end of the mortgage term.

The interest rate of the mortgage is very important, because the lower the interest rate, the less you will pay back over the loan term. Mortgage rates are lower than most other types of loans, at around 5 or 6%. However, you should shop around for the best interest rate, as even .5% difference can mean a lot more to pay back over 20 or 30 years.