Understanding The Related Costs of Home Buying

Even before the house hunting begins, homebuyers need to determine how much they can afford. You'll need to think about more than a mortgage payment to determine if you can afford a home. To assure you are purchasing a home within the confines of your budget, you must consider closing costs as well. How much can you afford? Coldwell Banker® professionals provide some insight.

First calculate the estimated mortgage payment

Several formulas exist to help determine how much a lender will allow a consumer to borrow. One of the more accurate formulas is a front- and back-end ratio. It states that the buyer can afford as much as 28 percent of his or her gross-monthly income toward the monthly mortgage payment, assuming that the consumer's other debt payments(credit cards, car loans, student loans, etc...) are less than or equal to 8 percent of his or her gross-monthly income.

To better understand this formula, assume a gross-family income of $5,000 a month. The front-end ratio or maximum monthly mortgage payment is (28 percent of $5,000) $1,400. The back-end ratio is (8 percent of $5,000) $400. Therefore, the buyer can afford a $1,400.00 monthly mortgage payment as long as monthly debt payments are less than or equal to $400. If debt payments exceed the back-end ratio, it will reduce the monthly mortgage payment dollar for dollar. For example, if debt payments are $500, the maximum monthly mortgage payment a person could afford would be reduced to $1,300.

Go to our “Learn Section” to view calculators and tools to help you better understand the mortgage process, including a mortgage calculator which allows you to project monthly mortgage payments.

Down Payment and Closing Costs

These terms refer to how much money the buyer will have to pay out of pocket and up-front to purchase a home. Down payment is simple; it refers to the amount of money the buyers needs to invest at closing toward the price of the home. Most lenders request a down payment. Several programs are available and relatively easy to qualify for that allow buyers to make down payments of as little as 3 percent of the price of the home. Consumers can evaluate their options with the Coldwell Banker® Mortgage program or their lender.

Closing costs vary from state-to-state, city-to-city and even from home-to-home. Closing costs can include attorney fees, home inspection costs, title search fees, bank fees, termite inspection fees and radon inspection fees, to name a few. The mortgage lender requires some of these services and others are legally necessary depending on where the buyer lives. To better understand the necessary closing costs in the area you are looking to buy in contact your sales associate for guidance. For the sake of estimating, closing costs can range from 1 to 5 percent or more of the value of the home.

While up-front costs are more than one would pay for renting, homeownership can still be a sound investment and certainly an emotionally rewarding experience. After all, a cozy home and a piece of land to call your own are an achievable part of the American Dream.

Ask Your Lender About Available Mortgage Programs

An experienced mortgage company should be able to work with you one-on-one to determine exactly which mortgage programs will meet your individual needs and what you can qualify for based on your personal information. Applicants with higher credit ratings and/or higher levels of financial reserves generally receive more competitive mortgage rates. But with hundreds of available mortgage programs, there is usually one to meet the needs of almost any homebuyer. For those with excellent credit, there is even a way to get a mortgage with 0% down. (For more information on this and other mortgage programs, check out http://www.coldwellbankermortgage.com.)

Research the Terms of the Mortgage

Different mortgage lenders have varying price structures that can affect the amount that you pay for your home. An annual percentage rate (APR) includes the actual interest rate on the loan, as well as certain fees and costs associated with the loan. Because a customer may be paying points and other closing costs, the APR disclosed may appear to be higher than the actual interest rate quoted for the loan. Not all lenders calculate APR identically; however, it does give customers a relatively fair method of comparing price on their potential loans.

Get a Pre-Qualified Loan Commitment

Mortgage companies or other lending institutions provide pre-qualified loan commitments. Sellers often don't take an offer seriously unless the prospective first-time buyer has some assurance of creditworthiness from a mortgage company. Coldwell Banker® Mortgage goes one step further, offering qualified consumers pre-approvals, which carry more weight than a pre-qualification. A pre-approval with Coldwell Banker Mortgage means more because a full credit report is ordered on the customer so that a true loan decision can be made the same day a customer applies. Shopping for a home with a pre-approved mortgage enables a customer to negotiate as a cash buyer and submit an offer on a home with confidence that the mortgage will be issued and the sale will be completed.

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