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Leverage is an investment term that describes the use of borrowed funds to control an asset; sometimes referred to as using other people's money. Borrowed funds can affect the investment in your home positively.
For instance, if you had a $100,000 rental property, collected the rents and paid the expenses and had $10,000 left, you would earn a 10% return (divide the $10,000 by the $100,000.) With no loan on the property, there is no leverage.
If you decided to get an 80% mortgage at 8%, you would owe an additional $6,400 in expenses leaving you only $3,600 net. However, your return would grow to 18% because your investment is now $20,000 in cash (divide the $3,600 by $20,000.)
Leverage, the use of borrowed funds, causes the return to increase in this example. While, most people associate leverage with rental properties, it also applies to a home. The larger the mortgage, the more leverage you have. A FHA mortgage with a 3.5% down payment has more leverage than an 80% loan.
Assume we're looking at a $295,000 purchase price with 3% closing costs and a 4.5% mortgage for 30 years with a five-year holding period. The following table shows the return based on different down payments and appreciation rates. The initial investment is the down payment plus closing costs. The equity build-up at end of year five is the result of normal principal reduction and appreciation.
Down Payment
1% Appreciation
2% Appreciation
3% Appreciation
3.5%
21%
28%
34%
10%
12%
17%
20%
7%
13%
Another way to look at the 3.5% down payment example with 3% appreciation would be to say that a $10,325 down payment plus $8,850 in closing costs could grow into $82,482 of equity in a five-year period producing a 34% rate of return on the initial investment.
Estimate what your initial investment could grow to using this Rent vs. Own. If you need any help, let me know at (808) 523-7653 or John@JohnRiggins.com.
Two things can happen when the mortgage rates go up before you've found a home or locked-in your mortgage. You'll either pay the current mortgage rate which means a higher payment, or you'll have to increase your down payment to keep the monthly payment at the same level.
If the rate were to go up by ½%, the payment on a $275,000 mortgage would increase by $82.87 per month for the entire 30-year term. That would increase the cost of the home by $29,835.
Some people are purchasing the maximum home that they can qualify for. In that case, they cannot qualify for a higher payment and the only way to buy the same price home is to put more money down which may not be a possibility. The other alternative is to buy a lower price home which may not be in the same area or size which will involve some compromises.
The rate is not the only dynamic that affects buyers waiting to purchase. The home they want could sell to someone else. Prices could increase as new homes come on the market. The question that many buyers ask themselves when they become a victim of the consequences of delay is "What could we have spent the money on if we didn't have to make a higher payment?"
Mortgage rates are very attractive currently and within ½% of the all time low of 3.35% in December 2012. The highest rate was 18.45% in October 1981. Whether you're purchasing or refinancing, it may not be this low again.
To see how it will affect the payment, plug your numbers into this Cost of Waiting to Buy calculator or call me at (808) 523-7653 and I'll help you with it.
