Save For A Down Payment or Buy Now? (Part 1 of 2)
An email asked a question I should have thought to answer a long time ago, and the answer may surprise a lot of folks. I've been vaguely aware of this for a couple of years, but I was amazed how strongly the numbers solidified my views!
My wife and I aren't ready to buy a property yet, but we are trying to plan how much to save for our down payment. You've mentioned that there's a spectrum from nothing down to 20+% down broken down by 5% increments, but how do you choose where to be on that spectrum? I can see that there are tradeoffs between the amount you have to save, the cost of your mortgage and the like, but I don't have a good way of thinking about those tradeoffs. And, since we're in the DELETED area, 20% down could easily get into the six figures, so it can be quite intimidating.
Given the way leverage works in even a slightly appreciating market, it is generally to your advantage to buy as soon as 1) You are sufficiently stable in your employment and expect that you're going to be in the area at least another three to five years, 2) You have enough of a reserve that the first minor bump in the road will not lead to disaster, and 3) You make enough to afford the payments. However, what usually happens is that people get a raise, a promotion, or a new job, or more often, they get married or have a baby and that is what sets their thinking on the road to buying a home.
(Note: When I originally wrote this, loans available were different than they are now. But the situation will go back to that eventually, and there are ways to make a minimal down payment work, even today, and the basic ideas I'm presenting are, if anything, more valid than when I originally wrote this)
Let's consider a $500,000 property and an 80% first trust deed with an appropriate piggyback 30 due in 15 second if needed, since that is generally returning more favorable rates than a Home Equity Line of Credit right now. When I originally wrote this, I had 5.875 for about 9/10 of a point plus closing costs, or about $7100 total cost. But there are potential adjusters - and relevant to this situation, having subordinate financing for 100% CLTV added one full discount point ($4000 in this case) to the first mortgage, or you can drop down to 6.25 for the same cost. 95% financing only adds 1/4 of a point in the same situation, or you can get a 6% even for the same cost. At or below 90% CLTV, there was no add to the first mortgage. If we're at 80% with a $100,000 (20%) down payment, the 5.875 first is all there is. Taking dead average credit scores (720) with this same lender, the closing costs are $500 (flat) when you do the second concurrently. 85% CLTV would be an 8% second on $25,000 for a down payment of $75,000 (15%) plus closing costs. 90% CLTV would be $50,000 down payment (10%) and leave you with a $50,000 second at 7.375%, benefiting from a bump down in rate for hitting a certain dollar value. 95% CLTV requires a $25,000 down payment and leaves you with a $75,000 second at 7.75%. 100% CLTV (no down payment) leaves you with a $100,000 second at 8%. It would be 8.25, but you've hit another economy of scale break point.
Here's a table:
CLTV 80 85 90 95 95 100 100 | 1st TD 5.875 5.875 5.875 5.875 6.000 5.875 6.25 | 2nd TD n/a 8.00 7.375 7.75 7.75 8.00 8.00 | Cost $7100 $7600 $7600 $8600 $7600 $11600 $7600 | 1st pay $2366.16 $2366.16 $2366.16 $2366.16 $2398.21 $2366.16 $2462.87 | 2nd pay $0 $183.45 $345.34 $537.31 $537.31 $733.77 $733.77 | interest $1958.33 $2125.00 $2265.63 $2442.71 $2484.38 $2625.00 $2750.00 |
So you see that having a down payment is a very good thing. This is for a fairly ideal situation. If you were in a stated income situation (when we had stated income loans, which nobody does any longer), the rates were slightly higher and step somewhat more steeply. If your credit is significantly below average, the rates start higher and step up more steeply still. It gets rough if both apply.
However, this doesn't take place in a vacuum. Let's say you can save $10,000 per year, and earn 10% tax free on what you save. But while you do, housing prices are still going up in the aggregate (at least when the economy is healthy, and if the economy doesn't get healthy soon we'll have worse things to worry about then whether to buy real estate). Let's assume 5% per year on average. We will also assume that you can get a 6% loan for the first and 8% for the second whenever you buy, and taxes at 1.2% of value per year, here's the projected situation:
Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | down $0.00 $10,500.00 $22,050.00 $34,755.00 $48,730.50 $64,103.55 $81,013.91 $99,615.30 $120,076.83 $142,584.51 $167,342.96 | price $500,000.00 $525,000.00 $551,250.00 $578,812.50 $607,753.13 $638,140.78 $670,047.82 $703,550.21 $738,727.72 $775,664.11 $814,447.31 | CLTV 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 95.00% 95.00% 90.00% 90.00% 90.00% 85.00% 85.00% 80.00% | payments $3,631.97 $3,736.52 $3,842.45 $3,949.44 $4,057.11 $4,165.04 $4,272.73 $4,379.60 $4,484.99 $4,588.14 $4,694.16 |
Where payments is the total of mortgage and monthly tax payment pro-rated when you buy. Examining that column, we see that this is an argument against waiting. In fact, assuming a 3% (compounded) raise per year, the property is only 4% more affordable in year 10 with a $167,000 down payment! This neglects rises in rents and other costs of living!
I should mention that smooth raises are not the way any market works over a 10 or 20 year period. Up, down, flat, crash, skyrocket, all happen due to unforeseeable factors, as well as ones you'd have to be a politician to not see. The basic ideas remain sound as a general principle, although the actions of politicians can certainly influence them - upwards or downwards. But in general, over the long term, markets have population increases and increased demands on the land available. Real estate prices increase in the long term, whatever may happen in any individual year (or few years). leverage makes the effects of that increase have spectacular financial effects.
At this update, the only 100% financing that is generally available is if you are eligible for a VA loan, but the principles remain the same. Once you have enough to make a down payment acceptable to lenders, the numbers are very strongly in favor of buying instead of waiting for a larger down payment. FHA loans require only 3.5% down, and are available to basically everyone who hasn't defrauded the federal government.
Original here
(Here is Part 2 of Save For A Down Payment or Buy Now?, which tells one way to increase affordability more and faster)
Categories
Buying and SellingThe Book on Mortgages Everyone Should Have
What Consumers Need To Know About Mortgages
The Book on Buying Real Estate Everyone Should Have
What Consumers Need To Know About Buying Real Estate
Buy My Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels!
Dan Melson Amazon Author Page
Dan Melson Author Page Books2Read
Links to free samples here
The Man From Empire
Man From Empire Books2Read link
A Guardian From Earth
Guardian From Earth Books2Read link
Empire and Earth
Empire and Earth Books2Read link
Working The Trenches
Working the Trenches Books2Read link
Rediscovery 4 novel set
Rediscovery 4 novel set Books2Read link
Preparing The Ground
Preparing the Ground Books2Read link
Building the People
Building the People Books2Read link
Setting The Board
Setting The Board Books2Read link
Moving The Pieces
Moving The Pieces Books2Read link
The Invention of Motherhood
Invention of Motherhood Books2Read link
The Price of Power
Price of Power Books2Read link
The End Of Childhood
The End of Childhood Books2Read link
The Fountains of Aescalon
The Fountains of Aescalon Books2Read link
The Monad Trap
The Monad Trap Books2Read link
The Gates To Faerie
The Gates To Faerie Books2Read link
Gifts Of The Mother
Gifts Of The Mother Books2Read link
C'mon! I need to pay for this website! If you want to buy or sell Real Estate in San Diego County, or get a loan anywhere in California, contact me! I cover San Diego County in person and all of California via internet, phone, fax, and overnight mail. If you want a loan or need a real estate agent
Professional Contact Information
Questions regarding this website:
dm (at) searchlight crusade (dot) net
(Eliminate the spaces and change parentheticals to the symbols, of course)
Essay Requests
If you don't see an answer to your question, please consider asking me via email. I'll bet money you're not the only one who wants to know!
Requests for reprint rights, same email: dm (at) searchlight crusade (dot) net!
Add this site to Technorati Favorites
Subscribe to Searchlight Crusade
My Links
-
Heavy Lifters
- Instapundit
- Hot Air
- Wizbang
- Victor Davis Hanson
- Q and O L Places I get to as often as I can
- Soldier's Angels
- The Anchoress
- Argghhh!
- Armies of Liberation R
- Asymmetrical Information
- Belmont Club
- Tim Blair
- Eject! Eject! Eject!
- Jihad Watch
- Michelle Malkin
- Neo-neocon
- Powerline
- Protein Wisdom
- Real Clear Politics
- Mark Steyn
- Strategy Page
- Vodkapundit
- Volokh Conspiracy Personal Finance, Economics and Business Sites
- Bloodhound Blog
- Financial Rounds
- Free Money Financea> Other sites I've linked and visit
- Ace of Spades
- Ann Althouse
- The Anti Idiotarian Rottweiler
- Atlas Shrugs
- Professor Bainbridge
- Baldilocks
- Beldar
- Blackfive
- Classical Values
- Coyote Blog
- Daily Pundit
- Drudge Report
- IMAO
- The Jawa Report
- Just One Minute
- Libertarian Leanings
- Liberty Papers
- Normblog
- Patterico's Pontifications
- Right Wing Nut House
- Samizdata
- SCOTUS Blog
- Stop the ACLU
- Unalienable Right Consumer and Research Sites
- Better Business Bureau
- Consumer Reports
- NASD Home
- California Department of Real Estate
- California Licensee Lookup
- California Department of Insurance
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
- Do Not Call Homepage
- IRS Charities Search
- Internet Fraud Complaint Center
- SEC Home Page
- Stop Mortgage Fraud
- Report Mortgage Fraud Debunking Many so-called Real Estate Gurus
- John T. Reed Worthwhile Web Comics
- Sluggy Freelance
- Day by Day It is site policy to list the main page of every site I reference. Sometimes the real world intervenes and I haven't gotten to it yet, or one falls through the cracks on a long post with multiple references. It is also site policy to list the main page of every site that lists this one on their equivalent roll, as well as the main page of all sites that are members of any of the same groups this site is a member of. Please send me an email with a link to the main page of your site if I've overlooked you (dm at the domain name). For the clue-challenged, note that it is a requirement for your link to appear on every page of your site, just like mine does, and I will not link to spam sites.
Logical failures (straw man, ad hominem, red herring, etcetera) will be pointed out - and I hope you'll point out any such errors I make as well. If there's something you don't understand, ask.
Nonetheless, the idea of comments should be constructive. Aim them at the issue, not the individual. Consider it a challenge to make your criticism constructive. Try to be respectful. Those who make a habit of trollish behavior will be banned.
Leave a comment