Cumming, Alpharetta and Suwanee real estate and homes for sale in Georgia - John Foster, REALTOR® REALTOR® Logo - NUMBER1EXPERT™ NUMBER1EXPERT™ Logo
Contact Information
Email John Foster
Login
Go To Sitemap
John Foster






All agents are NOT alike! Find out why I am a top real estate expert. Call me: 770-722-7010.

Special Offers
Buyers Want Your Home for as Little as Possible.
Are you thinking of selling your home? You should know exactly what it's worth before making such an important decision.
Find Out More >
View All Offers >

Testimonials
John sold our home after another agent could not
John sold our home in 35 days and we received 99% of our list price -
Crandall Ryles
Read Quote >
View All Quotes >

TripleCalc
Compare three mortgages at one time. Download TripleCalc now. It's free.

Real Estate - Homes - NUMBER1EXPERTS Sell More!
John Foster is one of The Top Selling Real Estate Experts™
Find Out More >


School Reports
See the nation's top rated reports for Schools in Cumming, Alpharetta and Suwanee >


Latest Listings
Get the Latest Listings Before Anyone Else!
As soon as I list another home for sale, I'll email you. You'll know first.
Name:
Email:
Affiliates
Coming Soon
Find Out More >

Latest News
Get the Latest Real Estate News, Hot Off the Presses!
If you are buying or selling a home, you need my eNewsletter.
Name:
Email:
Mortgage Calculators
Welcome > Resources > Mortgage Calculators > Should You Rent or Buy? ...

The Best Mortgage Calculators On the Web! 

Please try my Java loan and mortgage calculators. They take a minute to load, but they are worth it! 

Each calculator has dynamic graphs and charts that change - right before your eyes - as you enter different information. Try each calculator with different interest rates, loan amounts, and payment schedules. 

The mortgage repayment schedule and other reports are fully customizable - just for your home, your interest rate, your loan amount, your taxes, and more. 

Would you like a print out, for your records and future reference? Each calculator includes a View Report button. Click it, hit print, and you have a report, customized just for you... 

Should You Rent or Buy?

Should you rent or should you buy your home? It takes more than looking at your mortgage payment to answer this question. This calculator helps you weed through the fees, taxes, and monthly payments to help you make a good financial decision. Click the "View Report" button for a detailed look at the results.

This Financial Calculator requires a Browser with Java Support


Definitions

Price of home
Purchase price of the home you wish to buy.

Cash on hand
Cash you have for the down payment and closing costs.

Interest rate
The current interest rate you can receive on your mortgage.

Term in years
The number of years over which you will repay this loan.

Property tax rate
Your property tax rate. 1% for a $100,000 home equals $1,000 per year in property taxes.

Home insurance rate
Your homeowner's insurance rate. 0.5% for a $100,000 home equals $500 per year for homeowner's insurance.

Loan origination rate
The percentage the lending institution charges for its origination fee. 1% for a $100,000 home equals $1,000.

Points paid
The total number of points paid to reduce the interest rate of your mortgage. Each point costs 1% of your mortgage balance.

Other closing costs
Estimate of all other closing costs for this loan. This should include filing fees, appraiser fees and any other miscellaneous fees paid.

Total closing costs
Total upfront costs to close your loan. This is the sum of the loan origination fee, amount paid for points and other closing costs.

Total for down payment
Total funds remaining for down payment.

Mortgage amount
Total amount of loan.

Investment return
The rate of return you could receive if you invested your closing costs and down payment instead of purchasing a home.

The actual rate of return is largely dependant on the type of investments you select. From January 1970 to December 2003, the average compounded rate of return for the S&P 500, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 11.7% per year. During this period, the highest 12-month return was 64%, and the lowest was -39%. Savings accounts at a bank pay as little as 1% or less. It is important to remember that future rates of return can't be predicted with certainty and that investments that pay higher rates of return are subject to higher risk and volatility. The actual rate of return on investments can vary widely over time, especially for long-term investments. This includes the potential loss of principal on your investment.

Monthly rent payment
Amount you currently pay for rent per month.

Income tax rate
Your current marginal income tax rate.

Expected inflation rate
Inflation rate used to adjust amounts subject to annual increases. These amounts include rent, insurance and tax payments.

Home appreciates at
Annual appreciation you expect in the home you are purchasing.

Future sales commission
The percent of your home's selling price you expect to pay to a broker or real estate agent when you sell your home.

House payment
Total of principal, interest, taxes and insurance (PITI) paid per month for your home. Insurance includes Principal Mortgage Insurance (PMI) and homeowner's insurance.

Principal payment
Total of principal paid per month on your mortgage.

Tax savings
The value of the tax deduction you receive on your mortgage's interest and home's property taxes. For example, if you have $900 in interest and $100 property taxes per month, the value of the tax deduction would be $280. (At a tax rate of 28%).

Net house payment
Your house payment minus the value of the tax deduction and principal payment.

Net home price
Net selling price of your home after subtracting any sales commissions.

Monthly PI
Monthly principal and interest payment.

Monthly PMI
Monthly cost of Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). For loans secured with less than 20% down, PMI is estimated at 0.5% of your loan balance each year.

The mortgage calculators are provided by KJE Computer Solutions, LLC and made available to NUMBER1EXPERT as self-help tools for your independent use and are not intended to provide investment advice. We can't guarantee their applicability or accuracy in regards to your individual circumstances. All examples are hypothetical and are for illustrative purposes. We encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding all personal finance issues.



School Reports in Cumming, Alpharetta and Suwanee, Georgia
"A model of how the Internet can facilitate the process of deciding where to send your children to school"
- America's Best School Profiles by
The Heritage Foundation

Georgia Public, Private and Charter Schools: Compare them using these top-rated, comprehensive reports.
  Schools in Cumming, Alpharetta and Suwanee 



Real Estate Tips
Financing Your Home >When Interest Rates Rise

Many people fall out of the home buying market when interest rates start to go up. This is often a mistake. Many of the best mortgages deals become available when lenders are competing for new business and sellers are competing within a smaller buyer pool. You just have to know how to keep the costs down in order to counter the higher interest rates.

One of the best tricks is the buy-down. In a buy-down, a fee is paid at the closing to get a lower interest rate. In a soft market, an anxious seller may be lured into to paying all or part of the buy-down. Another approach is to get the seller to pay some of closing costs, thus lowering the amount of cash a buyer needs to close. Frequently the seller's costs can be used as a write-off by the buyer. Always consult with your tax advisor if you are considering such an arrangement.

If the market is softening due to rising or higher rates, the price itself becomes an area where a buyer may be able to save a lot of money on a house through skillful negotiating. Lower prices mean lower loan amounts, so don't be discouraged by higher rates--use them to your advantage.

See All Tips In The "Financing Your Home" Category >
See Complete Library Of Hundreds Of Tips In 30+ Categories >

Real Estate Trivia
Q 
What site discovered in 1965 is considered the world's oldest known habitation?

A 
The Terra Amata site in Nice, France has the remains of 21 huts belonging to the Acheulian culture from 400,000 years ago.
See More Real Estate Trivia >


Print This Page Send To A Friend


John Foster, REALTOR®, real estate agent and broker for Cumming, Alpharetta and Suwanee, Georgia home listings, property and land for sale - NUMBER1EXPERT(tm)

John Foster
RE/MAX of Greater Atlanta

10220 Medlock Bridge
Duluth, GA 30097
770-722-7010
Fax: 678-301-4137
JohnFoster@NUMBER1EXPERT.Com


www.FosterHomeInfo.com is brought to you by John Foster
NUMBER1EXPERT™ in real estate for Cumming, Alpharetta and Suwanee, Georgia

Read JohnFoster's Privacy Guarantee, Terms of Service, and Free & Without Obligation Pledge



USA and Canada Real Estate - NUMBER1EXPERT
NUMBER1EXPERT™
© Best Image Marketing and/or its clients.
All rights reserved. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

www.FosterHomeInfo.com is brought to you by John Foster