Do You Have a Silent 2nd or 3rd Mortgage?

When I bought my home, my mortgage broker found some state assistance for the first time homebuyers. It was a silent 2nd mortgage at 5%. What this means is that $25,000 of my mortgage loan requires no payments until at the end of the 30 year period. At that point, I would owe something like $62,000 and could re-finance it if I had to, as my 1st mortgage would be paid off by then.

Anyway, the interest has been adding up since then. I've made a few occassional small payments, and the interest paid has been tax deductible. Right now, it's about $1,300 in interest. I'm taking money out of savings and sending in a payment on it for that $1,300 in interest. It's going to save me a bundle.

First, I'll be saving 5% in future interest on that $1,300. That's what I was earning in the savings account. Plus, I can deduct that interest payment on this year's taxes. I'm expecting to be in the 20% bracket, so it'll save $260 on income taxes this year.