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When the mortgage is about to mature, most lenders will mail out their renewal agreements around 30 days before the mortgage matures. Often, this causes a lot of grief for many people, especially if rates start to climb just before the mortgage comes due.

When your mortgage is due for renewal, it's a great opportunity to make sure that you've got the right mortgage for your present needs. Since the mortgage is fully open at this time, this is the perfect opportunity to pay down your mortgage. Whatever you can afford, even a small amount, will have a significant impact in terms of interest you will save over the life of the mortgage. It is also a great opportunity at this time to consider a more frequent payment method, such as bi-weekly or weekly, if you are not already doing it. And of course, choosing the new term is important.

Another step you can take to save thousands of dollars in interest is if at renewal the rates are lower than the rate you just had, and you are comfortable with making those payments, keep the payments the same at the lower rate and start planning for the mortgage-burning party.