Posts Tagged With: home mortgage rates

Home Mortgage Calculator

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Melissa Hart

“Finally, simple mortgage calculators that anyone can use.”

The mortgage calculators on this website can help home buyers estimate how much their monthly payments will be when they purchase a home.  To use the calculator, enter the following information and then click “Calculate.”  It’s that simple.

  • Home Value
  • Loan Amount
  • Interest Rate
  • Loan Start Date
  • A Percentage for Property Tax
  • A Percentage for Private Mortgage Insurance

In addition, there is information to help homebuyers compare a 30-year and a 15-year mortgage, make a rent or buy decision, and valuable information about other home purchase decisions.

For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to

  • Stress the importance of finding the right mortgage when purchasing a home.
  • Calculate monthly home mortgage payments when different interest rates are chosen.
  • Illustrate the difference for the total repayment amount and monthly payment amount when the home buyer chooses a 15 year or 30 year mortgage.

Discussion Questions

  1. How important is choosing the right mortgage when you buy a home?
  2. Using the mortgage calculator at http://www.mortgagecalculator.org, determine the monthly payment for a 30-year loan for $180,000 if the interest rate is 5 percent. Assume the home purchase price is $210,000, property tax is 1.5 percent, and the PMI is 0.5 percent.
  3. What is the monthly payment for the above loan if the interest rate decreases to 4 percent? Over the 30-year period, how much did you save if the interest rate is 4 percent compared to 5 percent?
Categories: Chapter 7, Home Buying | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Mortgage Rates Fall Again

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Melissa Hart

Cheap mortgage rates are a bonanza for home buyers.

Currently, home mortgage rates are trending lower which is good news for home buyers.  According to a recent Freddie Mac survey, the 30-year fixed rate is 4.28 percent.  The 15-year fixed rate is 3.32 percent.

So how important is a lower home mortgage rate for a home buyer? 

  • At a rate of 6 percent, the monthly mortgage payment for a $200,000 thirty-year mortgage is $1,000 a month ($200,000 x 6% ÷ 12 = $1,000). 
  • If the rate drops to 4.28 percent, the monthly payment drops to $713 a month ($200,000 x 4.28% ÷ 12 = $713). 
  • That’s a difference of $287 each and every month.
  • Assuming the home buyer makes monthly payments for the entire 30-year period, that’s a savings of $103,320 ($287 x 12 x 30 = $103,320).

For additional information about mortgage rates and the factors that cause rates to increase or decrease go to http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/06/real_estate/mortgage-rates/index.html.

Discussion Questions

1.  What are the common mistakes people make when they finance a home?

2.  Why would you consider a 15-year mortgage instead of a 30-year mortgage?

3.  Why would you consider a 30-year mortgage instead of a 15-year mortgage?

Teaching Suggestions

You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to discuss

  • Why a home buyer should compare mortgage rates when financing a home purchase.
  • The advantages and disadvantages of a 30-year and a 15-year home mortgage.
Categories: Chapter 7, Financing a Home | Tags: | Leave a comment

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