BUYERS INFORMATION
ABOUT INTEREST RATES
Playing the Waiting Game on Interest Rates
This practice may cost Home Buyers (first time and move-up) more than
they think...
"The sooner, the better" may be the best strategy for buying houses. That's
because lower interest rates can actually mean higher costs for those who
delay the purchase of a home too long.
When there are fluctuations in mortgage rates, Americans have a habit of
waiting just a little while longer, hoping to save thousands of dollars as
the rates dip lower. But, even if the rates do fall further, that waiting
strategy, says a housing expert, can actually cost you more.
John Pfister, vice president of Market Research at Chicago Title Company, says home buyers tend to forget that as mortgage rates
drop, housing prices tend to begin rising.
"Very often, the savings projected by lower interest rates are more than
offset by the simultaneous rise in home prices," adds Pfister.
To illustrate the point, here's an example of what might typically happen:
A $150,000 house is purchased with a down payment of $30,000 and the
balance is financed at a fixed 8.75 percent rate over 30 years. Monthly
principal and interest payments come to $944.05.
If the buyer chooses to wait until interest rates drop to 8.50 percent
and, in the meantime the cost of the house climbs a modest 2 percent,
which is a common increase in an interest-driven market, the monthly
payment would rise to $945.78.
Payment differences between a 9.25 percent rate and rates a quarter
percent lower down to 7 percent are shown in the following table based on
housing price increases of 2 and 4 percent.
At Chicago Title, Pfister tracks housing statistics
from coast to coast. His research shows that the cost of financing a home
has outrun housing inflation in only three of the last 20 years. The
20-year average increase in housing inflation is 7.4 percent; for the cost
of the money, it is a mere 1.4 percent.
Here's an Example
|
Cost Now
|
2% Increase
|
4% Increase
|
Home Price
|
$150,000
|
$153,000
|
$156,000
|
Down Payment
|
$30,000
|
$30,000
|
$30,000
|
Mortgage Amount
|
$120,000
|
$123,000
|
$126,000
|
Interest Rates -- Monthly Payment, Principal & Interest(on a 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage)
7.00%
|
$798.36
|
$818.32
|
$837.29
|
7.25%
|
$818.62
|
$839.08
|
$859.56
|
7.50%
|
$839.05
|
$860.03
|
$881.02
|
7.75%
|
$859.69
|
$881.15
|
$902.69
|
8.00%
|
$880.52
|
$902.54
|
$924.56
|
8.25%
|
$901.53
|
$924.07
|
$946.61
|
8.50%
|
$922.71
|
$945.78
|
$968.85
|
8.75%
|
$944.05
|
$967.66
|
$991.27
|
9.00%
|
$965.56
|
$989.70
|
$1,013.84
|
9.25%
|
$987.22
|
$1,011.91
|
$1,036.60
|
Housing costs do not always offset lower interest rates. However, Pfister
warns that in those markets where housing values remain high and keep
growing, "waiting for interest rates to bottom-out" is a gamble. The bottom
may not be the best time to buy. Talk to your local real estate agent or
broker today to determine the best fit in housing and interest rate costs
for you.
|