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.

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.

"A model of how the Internet can facilitate the process of deciding where to send your children to school" - America's Best School Profiles by The Heritage Foundation Texas Public, Private and Charter Schools: Compare them using these top-rated, comprehensive reports.   Schools in Round Rock, Austin and Cedar Park

Closing or Settlement >As Closing Approaches If you are selling a house that is under contract and scheduled to close in a few weeks, what can you do to make the transfer of ownership as easy as possible for you and your buyers? Keep in close contact with your real estate agent so that you will know if there are any changes in the closing schedule. On the day the property changes hands, your house should be empty, clean and ready for the buyer. Contact all of the utility companies to let them know that you are moving and give the service company the buyer's name (the buyer must follow up with calls to confirm). Don't turn off the gas or electricity because the buyers need to confirm that the appliances are in working order. Let your insurance company know ahead of time that you are selling the house and arrange for your coverage to be transferred to your new home. The most important thing is to start the process well in advance in order to avoid any last-minute complications. See All Tips In The "Closing or Settlement" Category > See Complete Library Of Hundreds Of Tips In 30+ Categories >

Q  What is the average age of a first-time homebuyer in the United States today? A  The average age of a first-time U.S. home buyer is 32 years. See More Real Estate Trivia >

Shelly Finleon RE/MAX Round Rock 110 N. IH-35, Suite 340 Round Rock, Texas 78681 Phone: 512-627-7070 Office Direct: 512-255-9300 ext 22 Toll Free: 800-707-3629 Fax: 512-255-9335 Email: u2canown@NUMBER1EXPERT.com Shelly Finleon is America's NUMBER1EXPERT™ in Real Estate for Round Rock Texas, Williamson County, and the Austin Metroplex area. She has been one of the Top Producers for the past twelve years locally. She has a proven track record which few agents can match! Shelly has received numerous awards & recognition for her success in real estate - mentioned in the Austin Business Journal as a Top Producer, and also made the Top 20 RE/MAX Agent List for 2004. She has also been recognized for her extensive volunteer work in the community. www.u2canown.com is brought to you by Shelly Finleon NUMBER1EXPERT™ in real estate for Round Rock, Austin and Cedar Park, Texas Read Shelly Finleon's Privacy Guarantee, Terms of Service, and Free & Without Obligation Pledge

NUMBER1EXPERT™
© Best Image Marketing and/or its clients.
All rights reserved. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.