Boutique brokerage offering services and expertise in residential and commercial real estate with emphasis in investment advisory solutions. Tri West has the experience and knowledge to represent your best interest as a buyer or seller. Extremely proficient in short sale transactions.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
How to Save $67,960 on Your Next Home Purchase
Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. debt rating this month sparked speculation about what the effects would be on stock, bond and key interest rate markets. A lot of conversations centered around the prediction that interest rates for mortgages would increase dramatically, damaging an already delicate housing recovery.
So far, the opposite is true. We're talking down, down and down again. In the tumultuous days following the S&P downgrade, rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.32%, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey.
Now truly is an opportune time to borrow money for real estateif your finances are in a solid, healthy state. Borrowers who lock in super low rates stand to save a substantial amount of money over the life of a mortgage.
Take this example: A borrower with a $450,000 30-year mortgage with a 4.3% interest rate would have a monthly payment of $2,227 and pay a total of $351,692 in interest. If their rate on their fixed-rate mortgage had been 5%, they'd pay $2,416 a month and $67,960 more in interest over the 30 years.
Substantial!
Could rates go even lower? Who knows? Seriously. We don't know. However, S&P also downgraded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which means borrowing could get more expensive for the mortgage giants. That increase likely gets passed on to consumers.
Even if you refinanced last year at an average 5.5%, a rate drop to below 4.5% is worth a check-in on the math of refinancing. When rates really do start moving up, you don't want to look back and think "I wish I'd…"
Interest rates really do matter. So if you are on the fence or if you're an agent with buyers who are on the fence, do some math to see your/your client's total savings. It's as good a time as any to borrow money. Talk to your mortgage advisor today!
Brian O'Connor, Owner and Designated Broker