Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Is now a good time to buy using a mortgage?


Is now a good time to buy using a mortgage? 

I am sure that you have heard over the past few months that interest rates are expected to rise as a result for the Fed’s anticipated rate hike.  However, with the global economy’s multiple crises, economic experts are expecting mortgage rates to stay the same, or to drop even further.

The Chicago Tribune reports that low mortgage rates will be something we can grow used to.  Most notably, the recent BREXIT situation has caused major players in the US to rethink their position on the state of our interest rates in the US due to an increasingly growing world economy on a macro-level.  For example, Freddie Mac’s chief economist has stated that "the turbulence abroad should continue to create demand for U.S. Treasuries and keep mortgage rates near historic lows; thereby, allowing home sales to have their best year in a decade, along with a boost in refinance activity."[1]

OK, so what does this mean for me?

Let’s compare interest rates using the annual averages for 2007, 2011, 2015, and June of 2016, assuming a 30-year fixed, $250,000 loan balance.  Rates are derived from Freddie Mac’s compiled data.[2]

Year
Average Int. Rate
P&I Payment
Savings compared to 2007 rates, annualized
2007
6.37%
$1,864.75
-
2011
4.45%
$1,511.16
$4,243.08
2015
3.85%
$1,406.42
$5,499.96
Jun-16
3.57%
$1,358.88
$6,070.44

So as you can see from this simplified chart, last month compared to the average rates in 2007 would yield homebuyers a savings in $6,070.44 in interest, each year!  This means that homebuyers can possibly qualify for homes that they wouldn’t have qualified for in 2007, or perhaps it will allow homebuyers to take that extra money that they are not spending on interest payments, and apply it to pay down debts or put it into investments for further growth.

Conclusion

As physics dictates, what goes up must come down (and in this case, the opposite- what goes down, will eventually go up!), so it is a great idea to reconsider your position.  Now is a great time to take advantage of the lower interest rates to buy your first home, or perhaps even move up to a bigger home.




[1] http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-mortgage-rates-20160714-story.html
[2] http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/pmms30.htm