Tips to Welcome Buyers Visitng Your Home The first impressions are lasting impressions. Smart home sellers make sure they impress potential buyers at the beginning by focusing on those aspects of their homes that buyers and agents will see right away. Stage Your Front Porch If your home has a porch or deck, look over … Continued
For all those contemplating buying a home or an investment property, you may be wondering what type of mortgage is best for you. Well, the answer of course depends on your situation. Because that isn’t exactly helpful, let’s run through the pros and cons of choosing a 30 year fixed rate mortgage–which, to answer the question posed above, remains the most popular option among home buyers by far.
Pros:
Lower Monthly Payments: When your loan payments are spread out over 30 years versus 15, there is no surprise that the monthly cost is less. This is ideal if you don’t have a ton of leftover money each month after budgeting for all of your expenses.
A Nicer Home: Especially for first time buyers who may be earning less than people shopping for a second or third home, a longer mortage term allows you to buy a more expensive home (due to those lower monthly payments.) Of course, buying a larger, better located, or simply nicer place should result in a better return on investment when you go to sell. That being said, it’s never a great idea to buy the priciest home you can possibly afford–being a bit conservative and leaving money for a rainy day is always wiser.
Flexibility: First, ensure that your 30 year loan does not have penalities for making extra payments. Once that’s settled, you have the flexbility to pay off your loan more quickly and save yourself lots of money in interest! The great thing is if your financial situation changes–you suffer an unexpected job loss or something along those lines–then you can go back to your initial (smaller) monthly payments. If you have the option of paying more than you have to and the discipline to do so, then having a 30 year mortgage and paying it off in 15 can be the best of both worlds–it slashes the total interest you pay while also offering a fallback plan if your finances go downhill.
Now, onto the cons of a 30 year mortgage.
Owning Your Home Takes a Long Time: Simply put, getting a 15 year mortgage means that your home will be paid off in half the time of a 30 year loan. For those who can manage a shorter mortgage, it will mean you are in debt for many fewer years!
Saving Money: The issue with opting for a 30 year mortgage with intentions to pay it off in 15 and avoid massive interest is that good intentions don’t always translate into action. Choosing a shorter mortgage from the jump ensures that you will save boatloads of money on interest–whereas going with a 30 year leaves open the possibility that instead of paying it off more quickly you will submit to temptation and spend that extra money on clothes, a vacation..you name it!
More Equity More Quickly: With a 15 year mortgage, you pay down interest much more quickly than with a 30 year. As a result, more of your monthly payment goes to pricipal and less to the bank–certainly preferrabe if you can swing it.
All things considered, a shoter mortgage will save you more money over time. However, it may simply not be feasible depending on your situation. Whatever you choose, talk to a qualified lender for sound professional advice, as buying a home will be the biggest financial decision you make!
Please call Lise at 240-401-5577 if you’d like a referral to an experienced and knowledgeable lender!
Park View is an up and coming (or already arrived depending on your point of view) neighborhood in Northwest DC directly north of Howard University. Development in Park View really started heating up around 2009, and 10 years later there are now a plethora of great restaurants and shops. Park View offers easy walkability to hot neighborhoods like Shaw and also boasts 2 metro stops on the Yellow/Green line for access to the rest of the city (not to mention direct metro access to Reagan National airport.) Park View is a lovely place to stroll, and it offers both peace and quiet on residential streets with a thriving commercial section on Georgia Avenue. Without further ado, here is a list of the best things to do, places to eat and drink, and a little information on housing in Park View:
Tour this home with Lise and see the beautiful hardwood floors plus an ice cream bar in the basement!
There are a number of reasons you may be done with your investment property–you’ve had it so long that there’s no depreciation left, the neighborhood has changed and your tenants just aren’t what you used to have, or you simply think you could be generating more cash with a different property–the list goes on. If … Continued
What does the Southwest Waterfront have to offer? Fine dining, jogging and biking paths, concert halls, great shopping, proximity to some of DC’s best museums, public parks with water views…the list goes on! Just south of downtown DC, this neighborhood has really blossomed in the past several years with the opening of The Wharf, a … Continued
According to a recent Redfin report, Alexandria and Arlington are now the two most competitive housing markets in the country as a result of Amazon’s plans for a second headquarters in Crystal City. While the national average for the number of days it takes to sell a home is 38, during the month of July … Continued
It is very exciting to buy new construction but you need to keep your eyes wide open. Here are a few things to keep in mind. Using an agent to represent you can actually save you money The price is set for that new construction and it includes a commission for the buyer agent. If … Continued
One of the most important steps in buying a house is saving enough money for a down payment and closing costs. Don’t believe what you read on some websites – there are mortgage programs that DON’T require you to put down 20%. (If you don’t believe me, we clearly need to talk!) It is a good thing … Continued
