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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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Making An Offer >Making Your Offer When you find the right home, what can you do to maximize your chances of actually getting it? The first step you should take is to make a prompt offer. Whether you are in a buyers' or sellers' market, taking too much time to initiate an offer can cost you money, especially if you are planning to offer less than the asking price or will be asking for special terms. If your offer is the only one on the table, the sellers will consider it, and if they don't accept it, they may make a good counter offer. While you are "sleeping on it", however, you risk the possibility of another offer coming in. If another buyer appears on the scene, you lose an important advantage while you and the sellers are going back and forth with offers and counter offers. A buyer who really wants that special house will make the best possible offer --as quickly as possible. See All Tips In The "Making An Offer" Category > See Complete Library Of Hundreds Of Tips In 30+ Categories >

Q  In what 2003 comedy does a very large family move to a new house on Forest Avenue in Evenston, Illinois? A  "Cheaper by the Dozen", starring Steve Martin, was actually filmed in a house in Los Angeles near the Farmer's Market. See More Real Estate Trivia >

Brenda Cuoco & Company Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 55 North Main Street East Longmeadow, MA 01028 office: 413-525-5201 Vmail: 413-747-4964 Cell: 413-214-5365 Fax: 413-289-9496 bcuoco@NUMBER1EXPERT.com Treating each and everyone of our client's as if they were our only client is what our team likes to do best. We are always going above and beyond to service all of our client's. It's About always putting THEIR INTERESTS first, as well as giving 110% all the time and never giving up until the job's done. It's about commitment, hard work , integrity, energy, experience and results. We are friendly, caring, aggressive and most of all seeing a smile on our client's face is most rewarding to us! Our client's say it like it is: "We were so lucky to have her as our Realtor! Enthusiastic, energetic, aggressive, hardworking, honest, compassionate, knowledgeable, she has passion for the business, the page just isn't long enough!" These are just some of the many typical responses from satisfied client's when asked to describe buying or selling a home with Brenda Cuoco & Company. Much Hard work & Commitment goes into being that type of agent. Brenda Cuoco & Company received the International Presidents Diamond Society Award in 2007 & 2008 and is also ranked in the top 1% of the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley, as well as being the #1 team in Coldwell Banker in Hampden, Hampshire & Franklin County. Brenda is also a Certified Relocation's Specialist and New Homes Specialist. Call Brenda Cuoco & Company today and you will be happy you did! “This website is NOT the official web site of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage” www.newenglandmoves.com www.BrendasMLS.com is brought to you by Brenda Cuoco and Company NUMBER1EXPERT™ in real estate for Wilbraham, East Longmeadow, Springfield and Longmeadow, Massachusetts Read Brenda Cuoco and Company's Privacy Guarantee, Terms of Service, and Free & Without Obligation Pledge

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