May 3, 2014
The Current Interest Rate and It’s Importance
The Current Interest Rate and It’s Importance
It’s all about the Benjamins! Don’t forget the Hamiltons, Jacksons, and other presidents though! Here’s why: Interest Rates MATTER!
Click the following link to see The Current Interest Rate and It’s Importance.
When you apply for a loan, one of the things you keep in mind is where interest rates are at. Sometimes it is difficult to judge the market, so you just take it as it is. When I bought my house in 2010, we got a historically AMAZING rate of 5.25%. Then, we watched rates plummet to 3.25%! Our payments would have been about $220 per month lower, but If we did that we would be out of a house. This is how most people think interest rates affect them, but I want to talk about how they can impact you on a much larger scale.
Affordability
The only way to explain how interest rates can impact you in a major way is to show an example.
$200,000 loan for 30 years at 4.5% = $1014 per month
$200,000 loan for 30 years at 5.0% = 1074 per month
The interest rate increasing just half a percent increases your monthly mortgage payment by $60! Perhaps this doesn’t seem like a lot to you, but over the course of the mortgage, you will spend an extra $21,600!
Right now, the current interest rate is fluctuation between 4.375% and 4.500%. As the market improves, the rates will increase. Let’s do one more example:
$200,000 loan for 30 years at 4.500% = $1014 per month
$200,000 loan for 30 years at 4.375% = $998 per month
This fluctuation alone is $16 dollars per month. Again, this may not seem like a lot, but over time it adds up. Over the course of a year, this is an extra $192 absolutely WASTED on interest. That is at least 48 gallons of gas that you pumped onto the ground rather than in your car!
What is the takeaway from all of this? The current interest rate is important! Interest rates are still at historically low levels and will be for some time. However, it is wise to remember that anything below 8% is historically AMAZING. The current interest rate is important to you because every increment takes away your hard earned money. The market is improving, and interest rates are rising.
For more information:
U.S. house price affordability is very sensitive to interest rates
How is the Housing Affordability Index calculated?
Affordability Calculator:
Content originally published on www.ErenMillam.biz
