You may have heard that in order to buy, you should have 20 percent of the total cost of the home saved up for the down payment. Actually, you can choose how much to put down based on what works best for your situation. Putting 20 percent down has a lot of benefits.
Typically, mortgage lenders want you to put 20 percent down on a home purchase because it lowers their lending risk. It's also a “rule” that most programs charge mortgage insurance if you put less than 20 percent down (though some loans avoid this).
Pros. A 20% down payment is widely considered the ideal down payment amount for most loan types and lenders. If you're able to put 20% down on your home, you'll reap a few key benefits.
The 20% down payment rule of thumb is a way to manage your costs when buying a home. By making a down payment that's at least 20% of the purchase price, you often avoid extra monthly expenses and pay less interest than somebody who buys with a smaller down payment.
That's why you need to keep savings funds in tact before buying a home–there are regular, recurring expenses to deal with far beyond the down payment and closing costs that allowed you to get in the home. The mortgage experts at Total Mortgage will close your loan in 30 days or less, guaranteed!
A general rule of thumb is to have one times your annual income saved by age 30, three times by 40, and so on.
How Much Should I Save If I Am a New Homeowner? Many financial experts suggest that new homeowners should be aiming to save at least six to 12 months' worth of expenses in liquid savings account for rainy days.
But of course, there are downsides to putting down less than 20%. You'll have less equity to start — meaning the portion of your home that you own outright, rather than the bank having an interest in it — and a bigger mortgage. That means your monthly payments will be higher.
Most lenders are looking for 20% down payments. That's $60,000 on a $300,000 home. With 20% down, you'll have a better chance of getting approved for a loan. And you'll earn a better mortgage rate.
If your down payment is less than 20% and you have a conventional loan, your lender will require private mortgage insurance (PMI), an added insurance policy that protects the lender if you can't pay your mortgage.
Experts say that 20% is the ideal amount to put down on a home or a car. It is possible to buy a house without a 20% down payment, but you will be responsible for paying PMI and added interest to your mortgage payment. Experts encourage potential homebuyers to stash enough cash to cover a down payment.
If you make $3,000 a month ($36,000 a year), your DTI with an FHA loan should be no more than $1,290 ($3,000 x 0.43) — which means you can afford a house with a monthly payment that is no more than $900 ($3,000 x 0.31). FHA loans typically allow for a lower down payment and credit score if certain requirements are met.
The more money you put down, the better. Your monthly mortgage payment will be lower because you're financing less of the home's purchase price, and you can possibly get a lower mortgage rate.
For FHA loans, a down payment of 3.5% is required for maximum financing. So for the same $500,000 home, you would need to come up with at least $17,500. Including the closing costs, you should be putting aside approximately between $27,500 and $28,750 to get the keys to your first home.
The Advantages of a Higher Down Payment
There's no doubt that putting down greater than 20% will get a homebuyer a lower monthly mortgage payment. A large down payment lowers the overall risk to the lender of financing the home, and so they will reward the customer with a better rate.
The traditional way to avoid paying PMI on a mortgage is to take out a piggyback loan. In that event, if you can only put up 5 percent down for your mortgage, you take out a second "piggyback" mortgage for 15 percent of the loan balance, and combine them for your 20 percent down payment.
For homes in the $800,000 range, which is in the medium-high range for most housing markets, DollarTimes's calculator recommends buyers bring in $119,371 before tax, assuming a 30-year loan with a 3.25% interest rate.
For starters, you will need to have $10,000, which you will use for your down payment and to cover the cost of your home inspection, the appraisal and a year's worth of homeowner's insurance. All of those other closing costs, escrows and everything else will get paid, but not by you.
According to Brown, you should spend between 28% to 36% of your take-home income on your housing payment. If you make $70,000 a year, your monthly take-home pay, including tax deductions, will be approximately $4,530.
A 50 percent down payment can also increase your purchasing power, as it results in a lower loan balance and monthly payment than a smaller down payment would yield. With a lower balance and loan payment, you free up more of your gross income, which also minimizes the lender's risk.
A 10% down payment is enough to lower your monthly mortgage payment, reduce your mortgage default insurance, and secure enough equity in your home to whether small dips in the real estate market. A 5% down payment gives you only 1.6% equity in your home because the rest of the cash goes to mortgage default insurance.
If you're getting a mortgage, a smart way to buy a house is to save up at least 25% of its sale price in cash to cover a down payment, closing costs and moving fees. So if you buy a home for $250,000, you might pay more than $60,000 to cover all of the different buying expenses.
First-time home buyer down payments start at 3%
So realistically, most first-time home buyers need at least 3% down for a conventional loan or 3.5% for an FHA loan. That means for a first-time home buyer down payment, you'd need to save around $10,500 to $12,250 to buy a $350,000 home.
– Data from the Federal Reserve shows that the average American saves only 6% of his or her disposable income. Assuming he or she earns the median household income, 6% would be roughly $300 per month, enough to buy a $100,000 home by 35 if he or she started saving at 28.