![]() Or, you can just talk to a loan officer.”ĭon’t be shy when it comes to asking questions. “Look at the county website to get an idea of what the tax rate is. “Even if you’re looking in multiple different counties, taxes are likely going to be a little different,” says Helali. ![]() Your best bet for estimating property taxes - aside from asking your agent or lender - is to pull up the tax assessor’s office for the county where your potential new home is located. If you’ve ever insured a car before, you’ll know that the process is not as straightforward as buying a pair of shoes - and homes are even more nuanced. These costs aren’t as easy to estimate because property taxes vary by state and county, and homeowner’s insurance rates vary based on location, the size and age of a home, your credit and claim history, and much more. ![]() Your property taxes and homeowner’s insurance will also be rolled into your monthly mortgage payment on top of the number you’re calculating online, and later disbursed from an escrow account when property taxes are due each year. ![]() If I buy this place and put a little money down, I’m going to save myself $400 each month,” Helali shares, warning that these calculators don’t tell the whole story. “One thing that a lot of people do is - let’s say they’re renting an apartment for $2,500 per month and then they find a house - they look up a mortgage payment calculator and say, ‘Wow, my payment is only going to be $2,100 per month. Taxes and insurance are the second category of what constitutes your mortgage payment, but they’re easily overlooked during the excitement of house-hunting. Source: (Alexander Schimmeck / Unsplash) 2. Whether you pay an additional $50 each month or make one extra mortgage payment each year, it all adds up. To expedite the equity-building process and ultimately save money on interest, you can kick a little extra cash toward your principal balance. It’s a gradual shift, but as your principal balance decreases, there’s less of a foundation on which interest accrues. The first mortgage payment will allocate $729 to interest, and $393 to the principal balance.Īfter 20 years, your payment will send $333 toward interest and $789 to principal. Your monthly payment (for principal and interest only, that is - more on the other factors shortly) will be $1,122. Say you’re purchasing a home for $250,000 with a 30-year, fixed-rate loan at 3.5% interest. Let’s take a look at an example using an amortization calculator: Over the life of the loan, this shifts to more of your payments being allocated to your principal. “When you make that first mortgage payment, a large portion is going to go toward interest.” What is amortization?Īmortization may sound scary or seem as though the loan is structured to benefit the lender, but it’s really just another word to describe a payoff schedule.Įach mortgage payment chips away at your principal balance, but in the beginning of an amortized loan, you’ll pay more toward interest. “It’s important to note that mortgages, similar to car loans, are amortized,” says Helali. The principal is the amount of money you’ve borrowed, while interest is essentially the fee you pay in order to borrow that money.ĭepending on the type of interest you choose, you’ll have either a fixed-rate or an adjustable-rate mortgage - and in either case, the interest rate is determined by your credit history, the amount you’re putting down on the home, and current market rates, among other factors. The majority of your mortgage payment will go toward principal and interest. Source: ( GotCredit / Flickr via Creative Commons Legal Code) 1. Here’s what you need to be aware of when calculating a mortgage payment. ![]() We’ll share tips on how to estimate those costs, as well as how to figure out exactly what you’ll be paying each month after you’ve closed on your new home.Īh, if only it were as simple as dividing the purchase price by the length of your loan term and calling it a day… With the help of HomeLight Home Loans expert Richie Helali, we’re going to review everything that goes into a mortgage payment (and what doesn’t!). It’s important to know what you’re getting into - both for financial awareness and your own peace of mind during what can be a long, stressful process. Sure, there are plenty of payment calculators available online (just Google “mortgage calculator” and you’ll be spoiled for choice), but mortgage payments contain several variables. It’s no secret that there’s lots to consider before buying a house, but one of the trickiest points for first-time buyers is often figuring out how to calculate a mortgage payment. ![]()
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