Tami Savage, Realtor

Your Key to a New Lifestyle

  • Search for Homes
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

The Cost of a Home Is Far More Important than the Price

September 22, 2020 By Tami Savage

The Cost of a Home Is Far More Important than the Price

Housing inventory is at an all-time low. There are 39% fewer homes for sale today than at this time last year, and buyer demand continues to set records. Zillow recently reported:

“Newly pending sales are up 25.5% compared to the same week last year, the highest year-over-year increase in the weekly Zillow database.”

Whenever there is a shortage in supply of an item that’s in high demand, the price of that item increases. That’s exactly what’s happening in the real estate market right now. CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index reports that values have increased by 5.5% over the last year.

This is great news if you’re planning to sell your house; on the other hand, as either a first-time or repeat buyer, this may instead seem like troubling news. However, purchasers should realize that the price of a house is not as important as the cost. Let’s break it down.

There are several factors that influence the cost of a home. The two major ones are the price of the home and the interest rate at which a buyer can borrow the funds necessary to purchase the home.

Last week, Freddie Mac announced that the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 2.87%. At this time last year, the rate was 3.73%. Let’s use an example to see how that difference impacts the true cost of a home.

Assume you purchased a home last year and took out a $250,000 mortgage. As mentioned above, home values have increased by 5.5% over the last year. To buy that same home this year, you would need to take out a mortgage of $263,750.

How will your monthly mortgage payment change based on today’s lower mortgage rate?

This table calculates the difference in your monthly payment:

Difference in monthly payment:  Purchased last year with a mortgage of $250,000 at 3.73% interest with $1,155 as a monthly mortgage payment (P&I).  Today with a mortgage amount of $263,750 and interest at 2.87% your payment is only $1,094, the difference is $61 (which increased your buying power and reduced your monthly payment with a lower interest rate).   The mortgage amoutn is using a 5.5% increase in home values over the last year, per CoreLogic.  And the Interest Rate is based on the Freddie Mac Weekly Mortgage Rate.

That’s a savings of $61 monthly, which adds up to $732 annually and $21,960 over the life of the loan.

Bottom Line

Even though home values have appreciated, it’s a great time to buy a home because mortgage rates are at historic lows.

Tagged With: First Time Home Buyers, For Buyers, Interest Rates, Move-Up Buyers, Pricing

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free eGuide. Things to Consider When Buying a Home. Send me this eGuide.

Free eGuide. Things to Consider When Selling Your House. Send me this eGuide.

A Guide to Buying Your First Home. Send me this eGuide.

Tags

Baby Boomers Buying Myths Community Demographics Distressed Properties Down Payments Events First Time Home Buyers Forbearances For Buyers Foreclosures For Sale By Owners For Sellers FSBOs Generation X Generation Z Gen X Gen Z Holidays Home Design Home Trends Housing Market Updates Infographics Interest Rates Interview Investors Lifestyle Luxury Market Millennials Move-Up Buyers moving New Construction Pricing relocation Remodel Rent vs Buy Report Reviews Selling Myths Senior Market Short Sales SOLD Tax Refund Veterans Video

About Me

I help homeowners sell their existing home and shift into a home more suitable to their needs in the North Metro Atlanta area (specifically around Cumming, Canton, & Milton). Read More…

Let’s Connect

770-744-2524‬ or
(888) 959-9461 x2543

Digitial Business Card

 

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Calculate Mortgage Payments

Below is a mortgage calculator you may use to help give you an estimate on your monthly payment and other details.

Once calculated, next to the monthly payment on the far right is a small graphic you can click on to see the payment schedule.

Calculate Mortgage Payments

www.mlcalc.com
Copyright © 2019+ Tami Savage LLC. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy

DISCLAIMER: The information contained, and the opinions expressed, on this site are NOT intended to be construed as legal or financial advice. Tami Savage does NOT guarantee or warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained herein. Nothing herein should be construed as legal or financial advice. You should ALWAYS conduct your own research and due diligence and obtain professional advice before making any legal or financial decisions. Tami Savage will NOT be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on the information or opinions contained herein.