It’s exciting to buy your first home, but act responsibly when it comes to making this purchase:
- Live within your means.
- Don’t get yourself into risky or untenable situations when it comes to choosing a home or taking out a loan.
- Do not assume the value of the property will increase.
- Do not assume you will be able to “flip” the home in a few years for massive profits.
Most people need to take out a mortgage to buy their first home. Typically, they’ll bring a down payment for a small percentage of the purchase price in addition to meeting the other mortgage requirements. On a $100,000 home, it might be $20,000.
Where do you get the money for the down payment? If you’ve followed my earlier advice in this guide to establish a special savings account for emergencies or other special situations, you can use this money for the down payment. A lot of people get help from relatives, or sell other liquid assets, such as stocks and bonds.
The remaining $80,000 will be paid for using a mortgage, which is essentially a large amount of money loaned to you by a bank. You pay back a small amount of money to the bank every month over many years.
Mortgages have to be paid back in monthly installments over 15, 20, or 30 years. The monthly payments are usually equal (exceptions include adjustable rate mortgages), and include principal as well as interest that the bank charges.
The size of the monthly payment depends on the amount of the loan, the length of the mortgage (also known as the “term”), and the interest rate offered by the bank at the time the mortgage started. Here’s how a $200,000, 30-year mortgage at a fixed 6% interest rate breaks down:
Monthly principal and interest payments: $1,199
Annual principal and interest: $14,389
Total interest over 30 years: $231,676
Total payments over 30 years: $231,676 + $200,000 = $431,676
The principal declines gradually over 30 years, until the mortgage is paid off:
If you feel the interest rate is too high, you can apply points to the mortgage. Points are a method of lowering the interest rate in exchange for an upfront payment. You might pay a few thousand dollars for 1 point, which will drop the interest rate a full percentage point. This lets you lower your monthly payments, but you’ll have to deal with the upfront cost of “buying” the points at the closing.
Regardless of the interest rate and the length of the term, you’ll also need to pay so-called closing costs (translation: expensive fees) to seal the deal. Lawyers and appraisers need to be paid. There are “origination” fees, fees to make adjustments or filings relating to the deed, etc. These can vary a lot from bank to bank, from just a few thousand dollars to more than $10,000. Shop around and ask about the closing costs associated with a particular mortgage product. Some banks allow you to fold most closing costs into the mortgage, which is one way to reduce the pain.