Posts Tagged With: mortgages

Should you Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?

Posted on August 22, 2020 by Melissa Hart

Traditional wisdom encourages you to pay off your mortgage faster by taking a 15-year mortgage instead of 30 years, or by paying an additional principal amount each month. However, these actions have risks. If you encounter financial difficulties and don’t have an emergency (reserve) fund, you could face foreclosure. Be sure your emergency fund has enough to cover several months of mortgage payments to avoid losing your home.

Some financial advisors suggest that if your reserve fund earns a rate greater than your mortgage rate (also taking into account tax benefits), you may decide to invest rather than pay down your mortgage. This approach could give more flexibility when encountering an economic downturn, which might include refinancing your mortgage at a lower interest rate.

Also, beware of organizations promising to help you make additional mortgage payments. You can do this on your own, without the fee they will likely charge.

For additional information on paying off your mortgage early, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students talk to others about the benefits and drawbacks of paying off a mortgage early.
  • Have students develop a visual to compare paying off a mortgage early with saving and investing additional funds instead.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of paying off a mortgage early?
  2. Describe actions to take when trying to decide if to pay off a mortgage early.
Categories: Chapter 1, Chapter 7, Financial Planning, Home Buying | Tags: , | Leave a comment

How to Get the Best Mortgage Rate

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Melissa Hart

“Finding the right mortgage (and how to get the best mortgage rate can be a confusing process–especially for first time home-buyers.”

Buying a home is a huge financial commitment.  In this article, Deborah Kearns discusses the following six questions that can help you decide which is the right mortgage for you.

  1. Should I get a fixed- or adjustable-rate mortgage?
  2. Should I pay for points?
  3. How much should I expect to pay in closing costs?
  4. Do I qualify for any special programs?
  5. How much can and should I put down?
  6. Any other insights on how to get the best mortgage rate?

Each question provides detailed information to help you answer the question and find the right home mortgage financing needed to purchase the home of your dreams.

For more information, click here. 

Teaching Suggestions

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

  • Help students understand the importance of purchasing a home they can afford after all other home ownership costs–taxes, utilities, repairs, etc. are considered.
  • Stress the necessity of “shopping” for a home mortgage and comparing both term of the mortgage and the effect of interest rates on total financing costs.

Discussion Questions

  1. What factors affect the cost of financing a home that you would like to purchase?
  2. How important is good credit when purchasing a home? Does it really make a difference if you have a good credit score or a bad credit score?  Explain your answer.
  3. What steps can you take to make sure that you are getting the lowest interest rate when you finance your home?
Categories: Chapter 7, Financing a Home, Home Buying | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Home Ownership Can Be A Financial Disaster

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Melissa Hart

While home ownership is often promoted as part of the “American Dream” and a sound financial decision, another point of view might be considered.  Home ownership may not be for everyone when considering these drawbacks:

  • A home is not an investment. Over the past 120 years, the real return of the value of homes has been less than 0.5 percent a year,
  • Home ownership can be a money drain. Mortgage payments and other costs, such as property taxes, maintenance, repair, insurance, and utilities can add up to a significant portion of a household budget.
  • The mortgage tax deduction may not be worth it. If you do not itemize on your taxes, you will not get the benefit of this deduction.
  • Consider the “rent-price ratio.” This analysis is determined by dividing the average home sale price by the average annual rent.  A ratio of 1 to 15 is considered a range when it is better to buy than rent. Between 16 to 20, you are getting in to risky buy territory. Over 21, it may be better to rent than buy.  Be sure to also consider how much space you need. Homes are usually larger than apartments.
  • People often buy a larger house than needed, resulting in higher mortgage, insurance, energy, and maintenance costs as well as higher property taxes.

For additional information on the financial drawbacks of home ownership, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students ask homeowners for suggestions they would offer to people planning to buy.
  • Have students create a financial analysis comparing renting and buying for comparable housing.

Discussion Questions

  1. What factors might you overlooked when deciding to buy a home?
  2. How you decide whether to rent or buy your housing?
Categories: Chapter 7, Financing a Home | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

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 Calculator

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Melissa Hart

“A house is the largest purchase most of us will ever make so it’s important to calculate what your mortgage payment will be and how much you can afford.” 

While technically not the usual article you expect to read on the Kapoor Money Minute blog, the information about this Bankrate mortgage calculator can help you determine how much your monthly home mortgage payment will be.  To use the calculator, you simply input the requested financial information in the boxes provided and the calculator will determine your monthly mortgage payment.  You can also access an amortization table that shows how much of each payment is for interest and how is used to reduce the unpaid balance on your home mortgage.

In addition to this calculator, the Bankrate.com site provides additional calculators and information on many personal financial topics.  Take a look and be surprised at the amount of useful information available on this site.

 For more information, click here.

Teaching Suggestions

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

  • Use the calculator to help students determine how much house they can afford.
  • Discuss other expenses that could increase the cost of home ownership.

Discussion Questions

  1. Take a look at the information that you must enter in order to use the mortgage calculator described in this article.  How do the amount of the mortgage, interest rate, and term of loan impact the monthly payment for your home mortgage?
  2. In addition to your monthly home mortgage payment, what other costs can you expect when you buy a home?
  3. Buying a home is a “big” financial decision. Are there additional factors besides mortgage payment and other home ownership expenses that you should consider before making a decision to buy a home?
Categories: Chapter 7, Home Buying | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Mortgage Comparison Calculator

Posted on March 11, 2015 by Melissa Hart

Many home buyers do not shop around for a mortgage. Failing to comparison shop for a mortgage often means higher monthly payments and paying thousands of dollars more in interest over the life of the loan.  A recent survey of mortgage borrowers revealed that:

  • Nearly half of borrowers only consider one lender or broker before applying for a mortgage.
  • Over three-fourths of borrowers only apply to one lender.
  • Lenders and brokers were the most common mortgage information source; with real estate agent also used. Other source of information were websites, financial and housing counselors, friends, relatives and coworkers.

Home buyers should complete an application with multiple lenders or brokers in an effort to get a better deal.  Also, ask questions and take actions to help you find the best mortgage for you

For additional information on comparing mortgage rates, click here:

For the complete report on study, click here:

A mortgage comparison calculator is available, click here:

Teaching Suggestions

  • Have students interview people who own homes to obtain information about the mortgage process they used.
  • Have students prepare a data summary of mortgage rates for different lenders in their area.

Discussion Questions 

  1. What actions can be taken to reduce mortgage costs?
  2. Describe factors that a person should consider when choosing among several mortgage lenders.
Categories: Chapter 7, Financing a Home, Home Buying | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

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