Mortgage

Calculate Home Closing Costs

Closing on a home is the final step in the home purchase process. That last step, however, includes additional expenses, known as closing costs, that buyers and sellers may incur to complete the home purchase process. Home purchasers can understand what those closing costs will be by reading the Good Faith Estimate that lenders are required to provide as part of the loan application process. Closing costs usually cover fees related to the origination and underwriting of a loan, real estate commissions, insurance, property taxes, and transaction recording costs.

Down Payment Calculator

The math seems simple: the higher your down payment, the lower your mortgage loan amount will be, and the less you will pay in interest over time. The size of your down payment might also impact your loan eligibility. In most cases, you will need a minimum of at least 3 percent, and many loan types will require 5 percent, or more, down. Most lenders will also require that you pay Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) if you put down less than 20 percent until your loan-to-value reaches 80 percent.

Loan Amount Calculator

While mortgage lenders use lending ratios, such as the percentage of a borrower's debt to their income, in deciding whether to approve a loan, a borrower's household budget may determine how much they want to spend each month on housing. That monthly payment will determine how large a loan the borrower can expect to receive based on the term of the loan, down payment and interest rate. Other monthly expenses such as insurance, taxes, and HOA dues will also factor into the calculation.

Compare a Bi-Weekly Mortgage to a Monthly Mortgage

One popular strategy for accelerating the payoff of a loan is to make 'Bi-Weekly' payments. Under a Bi-Weekly mortgage plan, you will make payments to your lender every two weeks instead of monthly. Each payment will represent half of your monthly payment. One important thing to note here is that this method will result in you making 26 payments each year, which is two more than you would make if you made a payment on the 1st day of the month and middle of the month, so you will have to budget accordingly.

Debt-to-Income Calculator

Your debt-to-income ratio is the percentage of your gross income used to cover your mortgage and other debt payments. This ratio and your credit score are two key factors used to determine if you qualify for a loan. The lower your ratio, the easier it is for you to pay your bills each month.

Time to Refinance?

The decision to refinance a home mortgage can involve many factors. You might want to take cash out of your home at when you refinance to use for other purposes. But the most common purpose is to obtain a lower interest rate and lower monthly payments. In the latter case, the decision to refinance should be based on lowering the overall mortgage costs and breaking even on the refinance in a reasonable period of time.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage Analyzer

Adjustable rate mortgages typically offer home buyers the advantage of having a lower mortgage payment during the initial period of the mortgage. Adjustable rate mortgages are generally offered on a 1, 3, 5 or 7-year basis. Once the initial period expires, the mortgage rate will reset at then current interest rate levels. Depending on the direction interest rates are taking, these resets can result in higher or lower monthly payments to the borrower.

Compare Two Mortgage Loans

When purchasing a home the mortgage you choose and the options you want with it will have a significant impact on how much your home costs you in the long run. Interest charges, origination fees, fees paid for a particular interest rate (formerly referred to as 'points') and settlement costs will often have the most impact. Of these, the interest rate you pay will matter most.

Home Affordability

Your ability to obtain a loan for a new home purchase is based on a number of factors. Lenders typically make lending decisions based on three key ratios: (1) Loan-to-value ratio (LTV), which represents the ratio of the loan amount to the value of the home. Lenders ideally want to see an 80% LTV, meaning a 20% down payment is preferred; (2) Housing Ratio, which represents the percentage of your total income that goes towards housing expenses; and (3) Debt-to-Income Ratio, which represents your total debt payments, plus housing expenses as a percentage of your total income.

Proceeds from Sale of a Home

One of the most important questions consumers will ask themselves is "how much money the sale of their home will yield?" That is largely dependent on two things: the amount you still owe on the home and what you will have to pay your realtor for selling the home. If you have a second mortgage, or home equity loan, on the property, you will have to pay that off when you sell the home. When you sell a home, you will also have to pay interest on your outstanding mortgage balance from the date of your last payment until the time of the sale.