Thirty years of certainty, or a lower start with a defined adjustment window. The right answer depends almost entirely on how long you will actually stay — not on which rate looks better today.
A thirty-year fixed rate is insurance against every rate environment for three decades. If you plan to stay a long time, you are buying certainty and it is usually worth the premium.
An ARM gives you a lower rate for a defined initial period, then adjusts on a schedule with caps at each step. If your realistic horizon is shorter than that initial period, you are paying for insurance you will never use.
Every ARM has three caps — how much it can move at the first adjustment, at each one after, and over the life of the loan. Those three numbers describe your actual worst case. We will walk you through yours before you sign anything.