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Mortgage Calculators

Welcome > Resources > Mortgage Calculators > Should You Rent or Buy? ...

Should You Rent or Buy?

Should you rent or should you buy your home? It takes more than looking at your mortgage payment to answer this question. This calculator helps you weed through the fees, taxes, and monthly payments to help you make a good financial decision. Click the "View Report" button for a detailed look at the results.

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Definitions

Price of home
Purchase price of the home you wish to buy.

Cash on hand
Cash you have for the down payment and closing costs.

Interest rate
The current interest rate you can receive on your mortgage.

Term in years
The number of years over which you will repay this loan.

Property tax rate
Your property tax rate. 1% for a $100,000 home equals $1,000 per year in property taxes.

Home insurance rate
Your homeowner's insurance rate. 0.5% for a $100,000 home equals $500 per year for homeowner's insurance.

Loan origination rate
The percentage the lending institution charges for its origination fee. 1% for a $100,000 home equals $1,000.

Points paid
The total number of points paid to reduce the interest rate of your mortgage. Each point costs 1% of your mortgage balance.

Other closing costs
Estimate of all other closing costs for this loan. This should include filing fees, appraiser fees and any other miscellaneous fees paid.

Total closing costs
Total upfront costs to close your loan. This is the sum of the loan origination fee, amount paid for points and other closing costs.

Total for down payment
Total funds remaining for down payment.

Mortgage amount
Total amount of loan.

Investment return
The rate of return you could receive if you invested your closing costs and down payment instead of purchasing a home.

The actual rate of return is largely dependant on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2003, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.7% per year. During this period, the highest 12-month return was 64%, and the lowest was -39%. Savings accounts at a bank pay as little as 1% or less. It is important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment.

Monthly rent payment
Amount you currently pay for rent per month.

Income tax rate
Your current marginal income tax rate.

Expected inflation rate
Inflation rate used to adjust amounts subject to annual increases. These amounts include rent, insurance and tax payments.

Home appreciates at
Annual appreciation you expect in the home you are purchasing.

Future sales commission
The percent of your home's selling price you expect to pay to a broker or real estate agent when you sell your home.

House payment
Total of principal, interest, taxes and insurance (PITI) paid per month for your home. Insurance includes Principal Mortgage Insurance (PMI) and homeowner's insurance.

Principal payment
Total of principal paid per month on your mortgage.

Tax savings
The value of the tax deduction you receive on your mortgage's interest and home's property taxes. For example, if you have $900 in interest and $100 property taxes per month, the value of the tax deduction would be $280. (At a tax rate of 28%).

Net house payment
Your house payment minus the value of the tax deduction and principal payment.

Net home price
Net selling price of your home after subtracting any sales commissions.

Monthly PI
Monthly principal and interest payment.

Monthly PMI
Monthly cost of Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). For loans secured with less than 20% down, PMI is estimated at 0.5% of your loan balance each year.

The mortgage calculators are provided by KJE Computer Solutions, LLC and made available to NUMBER1EXPERT as self-help tools for your independent use and are not intended to provide investment advice. We can't guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your individual circumstances. All examples are hypothetical and are for illustrative purposes. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding all personal finance issues.




School Reports in Des Moines and Ankeny, Iowa
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Real Estate Tips

Financing Your Home >Qualifying Guidelines

It may be difficult to qualify for a home mortgage loan. As a buyer, you may find the perfect home, but finding the perfect financing might become elusive. After you complete the application process, your lender may turn you down, which is an upsetting development for any prospective homebuyer. What can be done to remedy such a setback?

The answer depends on why you were turned down. If your income is too low to satisfy one mortgage company, there might be another company with more liberal qualifying guidelines. If you have had credit problems, some lenders may be more willing than others to help you clear them up in a manner that satisfies their underwriters. If your loan runs into problems, sit down with the loan officer and your real estate agent to investigate the possibility of using a different lender. The first company may be able to "assign" the package to a competitor, enabling you to use your same credit report and appraisal. You will need the cooperation of your sellers, too.

While loan rejections are disappointing, they can be resolved.

See All Tips In The "Financing Your Home" Category >
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Real Estate Trivia

Q 
Which metropolitan area in America currently offers the most affordable market in which to buy new homes?

A 
The housing market in Youngstown, Warren and Boardman, Ohio is currently the most affordable metro area in the U.S.
See More Real Estate Trivia >


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The Moulton Team, REALTOR®, real estate agent and broker for Des Moines and Ankeny, Iowa home listings, property and land for sale - NUMBER1EXPERT

The Moulton Team
Moulton & Associates Realtors

2005 S Ankeny Blvd Suite 400
Ankeny, IA 50023
Phone: 515-965-7876
Fax: 515-965-7881
Email Heath: heath@weselliowa.com
Email Julie: julie@weselliowa.com

The Moulton Team is one of Iowa's largest producing Real Estate Teams serving Des Moines and surrounding suburbs. The only Number1 Expert Realtor in the Greater Des Moines area, our team specializes in offering our clients below market interest rates that allow our buyers to save thousands of dollars in monthly payments on any home they purchase. With over $300 Million in career volume and over 400 homes sold in the last 3 years, The Moulton Team can help you find your next home when moving to the Greater Des Moines area.


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