Download - Chapter 8
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Slides by Pamela L. Hall
Western Washington University
Chapter 8
The Housing Decision
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Your Personal Housing Requirements
Where do you want to live? Lifestyle: leisure and work activities Commuting distance/time Taxes
Vary across different states & local communities Public services
Health care, police/fire protection, parks, etc. Schools
Some believe good system helps maintain property values, but may pay higher property taxes
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Your Financial Resources
Experts suggest that you spend no more than 30% of your monthly take-home pay on housing
Decline in mortgage interest in 1990s let more people afford houses
Amount required for down payment is usually more of a hurdle than the monthly payment While there are ways to reduce the needed down
payment, you should plan on paying at least 10% of purchase price in a down payment (plus closing costs, which can easily reach 2.5%)
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The Kind of Home You Want and Need
Important to do a needs vs. wants analysis
Housing needs change over the life cycle Single person versus family with children
versus retired couple
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Major Housing Options
Single Family Homes About 2/3 of American households are of
this type Typically about 2,225 square feet, 3
bedrooms, 2.5 baths Typically sells for $145,000
Varies widely throughout the country More than 90% are bought via financing
with the property serving as collateral (mortgage)
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Major Housing Options
Condominiums and Co-ops Condo buyers receive title to unit plus
joint ownership in all common areas Owners belong to a homeowners association
Co-op dwellers own shares in a corporation that owns the building Resident leases unit from corporation
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Major Housing Options
Manufactured homes 95% are permanent structures Much cheaper than site-built houses If built after June 1976 must conform to national building
code
Rental option Most rentals are unfurnished Average rental in U.S. is $788/month
Varies substantially based upon Type of unit Location
Lease defines rights and obligations of landlord and tenant
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Buy-vs.-Rent
Advantages of renting Mobility (no need to be concerned with selling house,
although length of lease is a consideration) No large up-front costs involved Little or no repair and maintenance costs
Advantages of buying ‘Pride of ownership’ Ability to decorate to your satisfaction Potential price appreciation (but depreciation can occur) Tax savings (itemize deduction for mortgage interest) Build up equity
The current value of the house minus the loan balance
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Buy-vs.-Rent
In many areas of the country buying is cheaper than renting even if appreciation in value is not considered
This could change if interest rates rise or mortgage interest deduction is eliminated
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Web Links
Checkout Buying a Home: Settlement Costs and Helpful Information at:
www.hud.gov/buying/index.cfm www.pueblo.gsa.gov
Interactive guide to the home buying decision
www.fanniemae.com
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Financing the Purchase of a Home
Determine how much you can afford in terms of the total purchase price Dependent upon your income, down payment,
interest rates Lenders don’t want monthly mortgage
payment, real estate taxes and homeowners insurance to exceed 28% of your gross monthly income
Also, make sure you can afford the monthly upkeep Utilities, repairs, maintenance
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Financing the Purchase of a Home
Down payment First-time buyers usually pay about 12% Average down payment is 25% for all
buyers If you have a lower loan-to-value ratio may
get a better interest rate on mortgage If you purchase Private Mortgage
Insurance (PMI) you may be able to reduce the size of your down payment Expensive, but can be canceled after a point
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The Monthly Payment
Most mortgages are fully amortized Each payment goes partly to principal
reduction and partly to interest Over life of loan, principal is reduced to
zero Initially most of monthly payment goes
toward interest but this decreases (slowly) over the life of the loan
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Table 8.1
Payment Number
PaymentBeginning Balance
Interest PrincipalEnding
BalanceInterest Principal
1 790 125,000 677 113 124,887 677 1132 790 124,887 676 114 124,773 1,354 2273 790 124,773 676 114 124,659 2,029 3414 790 124,659 675 115 124,544 2,705 4565 790 124,544 675 115 124,429 3,379 5716 790 124,429 674 116 124,313 4,053 6877 790 124,313 673 117 124,196 4,727 8048 790 124,196 673 117 124,079 5,399 9219 790 124,079 672 118 123,961 6,071 1,039
10 790 123,961 671 119 123,842 6,743 1,15811 790 123,842 671 119 123,723 7,414 1,27712 790 123,723 670 120 123,603 8,084 1,39724 790 122,240 662 128 122,112 16,074 2,88860 790 117,169 635 155 117,014 39,419 7,986
120 790 106,185 575 215 105,970 75,780 19,030180 790 90,996 493 297 90,699 107,914 34,301360 790 786 4 786 0 159,431 125,000
Cumulative
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Figure 8.5
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Closing Costs
Include fees involved with the transfer of ownership (such as loan origination fee, credit report, etc.) Most are paid at the closing meeting Points
Fees paid (usually by buyer) to lender (AKA as a loan origination fee or loan discount)
Typically considered interest and are tax deductible Stated as a % of the loan amount
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Closing Costs
Prepaid Interest Generally over a month passes before your first mortgage
payment is due However, your mortgage is accruing interest charges during
that time If mortgage closed on June 15 and 1st payment was due July 30th, it
would cover interest from June 30th to July 30th, but not June 15th to June 29th
Sales Commission Usually paid by seller Compensates real estate agents for their services
Quite expensive (about 6 or 7% of purchase price)
Title Charges Normally split between buyer and seller
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Sources of Mortgage Loans
Can be obtained through Commercial banks Savings banks Mortgage companies Some credit unions
Shop around Mortgage broker will search for best loan to meet your needs Check the Internet
Lender doesn’t have to be local Loan application is rather detailed May have the option of locking-in the current
mortgage rate
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Types of Mortgages
Fixed-rate loans—interest rate remains constant over the life of the loan 30-year
360 identical payments are made, generally once a month
15-year Are about 33% of all new mortgage loans Interest rates are slightly less than a 30-year
mortgage Monthly payment is larger than 30-year
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Types of Mortgages
Adjustable-Rate Mortgages (ARMs) Interest rate changes at preset intervals,
depending on whether interest rates have increased or decreased Tied to a specific index Limits (caps) to how much the interest rate
can change per period and over the life of the loan
The initial (teaser) rate is far below the rate of fixed-rate loans
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Types of Mortgages
Choosing between an ARM and Fixed-Rate loan Many consumers dislike ARMs because
interest rate can change—adds uncertainty
However, may be a good choice for some consumers The shorter the amount of time you plan to
keep the house, the more attractive an ARM
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Sources of Mortgage Loans
Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Federally insured mortgages made by
private lenders Down payment is usually quite low (because
receive insurance via federal government) Buyer pays an FHA insurance premium each
month Ceilings on the amount of money that can be
borrowed Exactly what the ceiling is depends on geographic
location
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Sources of Mortgage Loans
Veterans Administration Guaranteed by the Veterans Administration and
loans are made through private lenders Only available to veterans Guarantees 100% of the loan amount
Subject to ceilings which vary by region Limits on closing costs Low down payments (sometimes as low as 0%)
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Sources of Mortgage Loans
Conventional Mortgages One that is not FHA or VA insured If borrow more than 80% of purchase
price most lenders require PMI If property is sold for less than the loan
balance, borrower is still obligated to pay the rest
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Refinancing a Mortgage
Involves taking out a new loan while paying off the old loan
Costs associated with refinancing Closing costs Are there pre-payment penalties on your current
loan Will there be pre-payment penalties on new loan?
Generally if interest rates have dropped to 2% or more from your current rate, it makes sense to refinance but depends on time you plan to remain in house
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Second Mortgages
Tax Reform Act of 1986 eliminated interest deductions on car loans, credit cards, etc.
May make sense to obtain a second mortgage on your house to finance car purchases, make home improvements, pay for college costs, etc. Interest is tax-deductible
Similar to home equity loans, except home equity loans are basically a credit limit An amount up to which you can borrow without
reapplying each time Interest is tax deductible
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Second Mortgages
Warning: Even if you pay your primary mortgage
payments on time, you can lose your house if you fail to pay your second mortgage payments on time
If your house drops in value the amount you owe stays the same
125 loans Loans up to 125% of the market value of the
house Risky!
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125 Loans
Recently 125 loans have become available Before the most you could borrow was 80-85% of the home
owner’s equity Example: If your home is appraised at $150,000 and you owe
$135,000 on the mortgage, you can borrow $18,750 (125% x (150,000 – 135,000)
Disadvantages Charge high interest rates Not all the interest is tax deductible (the % above the value of
the home is not) If you are having a financial crisis you can stop paying your
credit card debt (or pay the minimum) but you can’t stop paying this loan without losing your home
You can’t sell your home if you can’t repay the 125 loan If you file for personal bankruptcy, your credit card debt would
be wiped out (probably) but mortgage debt remains (usually)
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Finding the Right House to Buy
Recommend that you pre-qualify for mortgage before you start looking Know the max you can afford so you
won’t waste time Lets you quickly arrange financing once
you find the house you want
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Using a Real Estate Agent
You can either find houses yourself that you are interested in or
Tell an agent what you’re interested in and have them contact you with a list of prospects
Once you’ve selected a house, agent will help you make a formal offer
Prepare a contract stating offer price, desired closing date, etc.
Seller will either accept offer, make counteroffer or reject offer
You’ll have to put up earnest money A security deposit (which you’ll probably lose if you recant
offer)
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Home Inspections
You’ll definitely want the house inspected before you buy it, even if it is brand new
You can ask seller to fix things that are found during the house inspection, or lower the purchase price to adjust for these items
Expect to pay $150-$500 for a home inspection
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Warranties
Most new homes come with a one-year warranty
For an older home you could either buy a warranty (for about $350) that covers certain items (water heater, stove, etc.)
Some sellers now buy these warranties and offer as a sales incentive
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Selling a Home
Should you use a real estate agent? Agents charge between 6 and 7% of selling price If you don’t use a real estate agent, you have to
advertise the house, arrange for viewing, negotiate with buyer, etc. About 80% of houses are sold via an agent
Setting the asking price Agent will help establish this
Selling costs May include real estate commission, title
insurance, real estate taxes
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Web Links
References associated with selling a house:
www.realtor.com www.hud.gov/selling/index.cfm
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Fixing Up Your Home
Why do home improvements? Satisfy you Increase potential selling price
Bathroom/kitchen improvements tend to recover the best
Don’t improve your home too much If the value is more than 10-15% of average
home price in neighborhood, probably won’t get that much for it
Shop around
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Taxes and the Sale of Your Home
Most homeowners will never pay federal taxes on the sale of their home
However, it is important to keep good records