Buying a home is the largest financial purchase that most people make in their lifetime. Understanding how the home buying process works can not only help you make better financial decisions, it can also save you thousands of dollars. A big part of this is understanding your mortgage, so using a mortgage payment calculator can help.
A mortgage payment calculator will give you the knowledge you need to make sound and informed financial decisions. Rather than blindly accepting the first loan you apply for, understanding how a mortgage works and the real numbers behind the deal will help you make the right financial choice for you.
What should you look for in your mortgage?
Most people focus on the monthly payment amount of their mortgage.
But there are several other key features that you can use to help analyze and evaluate your mortgage, including the following:
- Comparing your mortgage loan to other home loans to see how the monthly payments stack up
- Calculating how much of your monthly payment goes toward the loan principal—and how much you’re paying in interest (both monthly and over the lifetime of the loan)
It can also be helpful to calculate how much you will end up paying over the lifetime of the loan and compare it to the original principal that you borrowed. This will give you a clear idea of the additional cost of having a mortgage.
What information do you need for a mortgage payment calculator?
To help you better and to use a mortgage payment calculator, you first need a few details about your loan. Once you have this information, you can either do the calculations yourself or, better yet, you can input the information into a free online mortgage calculator.
Here’s a quick list of what you’ll need:
- The total loan amount (also known as the principal), which includes the purchase price of your home and any other additional charges or fees, minus the amount of your down payment
- The annual interest rate of your loan, keeping in mind that the annual interest rate is different than the annual percentage rate (APR)
- The term of your loan, or the number of years that you have to pay back the loan
- The number of payments you make in a year (typically this will be 12 for mortgage loans)
- The specific type of your loan, such as interest-only, fixed-rate, or adjustable
- The current market value of the home
- Your monthly income
If you’re skipping the mortgage calculator, Business Insider gives a guide to calculating how much your payment would be each month by hand.
How much house can you afford?
It is not uncommon for lenders to offer you the largest mortgage loan that they can approve you for, most often by utilizing their standard debt-to-income ratio or formula. Keep in mind, however, that you don’t have to accept the full amount that they offer, since it may not be in your best financial interest. In fact, it can often be a good idea to borrow less than the maximum amount allowed.
Before you commit to a mortgage loan, and even before you start searching for a home, sit down and take a close look at your finances. Review your monthly income and tally up your typical monthly expenses, then calculate what you can comfortably spend on your mortgage each month. Once you have a solid idea of what you can afford, you can then begin talking with lenders to see what your options are and what’s available.
While it’s not necessary to take this step first, there are inherent risks if you do them the other way around. For instance, if you don’t have a solid grip on your budget and only take into account your monthly income (ignoring your expenses), you may think you can afford more than you actually can — and you could end up shopping for homes that are out of your price range.
In general, it’s a good idea to buy a home that’s slightly under your budget. Not only is this less stressful for you each month, but it will also allow you to set aside savings for home repairs or other goals.
How a mortgage payment calculator can help you
A mortgage payment calculator will help you determine what your monthly payment will be, and that’s important because it will likely be your single biggest expense each month. But that’s not all a mortgage calculator can be used for.
A mortgage calculator can also help you determine:
- If you’re buying too much house. A mortgage calculator can provide a great dose of reality when you’re searching for a home. Using this tool can give you an accurate idea of how much you can expect to pay each month with all costs factored in, including insurance, taxes, and private mortgage insurance.
- If your down payment is big enough. When only small down payments are required, often as little as 3%, it can be tempting to put down the bare minimum. Using a calculator can help you manipulate the variables of your mortgage to decide what the best down payment would be, so you can comfortably afford the monthly payments.
- The length of mortgage that’s best for you. The most common fixed-rate mortgages have a term of either 30 years or 15 years. A mortgage calculator will help you analyze the difference to see which makes more sense for you. A 30-year mortgage will lower your monthly payment, but you’ll end up paying more in interest over the lifetime of the loan. You’ll see substantial savings on interest utilizing a 15-year loan, but your payment will be higher each month.
If you’re in the market for a new home and are exploring your mortgage options, be sure to check out our mortgage payment calculator. And, when you’re ready to search homes for sale near you, we’re here to help.
