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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.

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Buyers Remorse >The Blues of Buyers Here is an illustration of what you might go through as a homebuyer when the real estate agent calls to say that your offer has just been accepted. Although you are ecstatic when your agent congratulates you, your initial euphoria may be short-lived if you begin to have second thoughts about the purchase. You may look at the amount of cash required for the down payment and closing costs, and feel that you won't be able to enjoy a restaurant meal or a shopping spree for months! The mortgage added to the interest payments over thirty years seems like an outrageously high sum. Finally, you stare at the inspector's report and convince yourself that the roof will blow off and every major system will fail the day after you move in. You're in a frenzy. You ask yourself, "What am I doing?" If you begin having doubts about your home purchase, the wisest approach is simply to relax! These feelings are so common that they have been given a name--"Buyer's Remorse." "Buyer's Remorse" is almost always a temporary malady, so please call your real estate agent if you are having an extreme attack. Your agent has experience in helping clients through the home-buying jitters. See All Tips In The "Buyers Remorse" Category > See Complete Library Of Hundreds Of Tips In 30+ Categories >

Q  Due to low business and living expenses, what areas are considered to be the fastest growing in the country? A  According to recent studies, the Southern and Western regions of the U.S. are among the nation's strongest economies. See More Real Estate Trivia >

Lenore “Lee” Robinson Prominent Properties Sotheby's Int'l Realty 87 Park St. Montclair, NJ 07042 Cellular: 973-222-4041 Office: 973-783-6900 Ext: 127 Fax: 973-873-7161 lenorerobinson@NUMBER1EXPERT.com leerobin12@aol.com I have been an intricate part of the real estate landscape in Montclair and the surrounding towns since 1987. I pride myself on efficiently guiding home buyers and sellers to a seamless completion of their transaction. I have chaired many real estate boards within our local board of Realtors and I am currently the chairman of the grievance committee. I have received the New Jersey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Award for 22 consecutive years. I have been a member of the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, since 1965. Recently, I was a featured Realtor on HGTV's "Bought and Sold". I have resided in Montclair since 1964, where I raised my four children. www.Leesnjhomes.com is brought to you by Lenore ''Lee'' Robinson NUMBER1EXPERT™ for Montclair NJ Homes for Sale, Glen Ridge Real Estate, Bloomfield Real Estate and Verona Real Estate, New Jersey Read Lenore ''Lee'' Robinson's Privacy Guarantee, Terms of Service, and Free & Without Obligation Pledge

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