If you are in a competitive area, definitely 20%, less than that, and your offer will look weaker than others. If it is super competitive there will be people doing all cash or 50% down. If your area has less competition, then 3, 5, 10, 15% is all good.
This amount can vary greatly from one sale to the next and depends a lot on how much you still owe on your mortgage. In 2023, the typical U.S. home seller made a profit of $121,000, according to a recent report by ATTOM Data Solutions. In 2023, the typical U.S. home seller made a profit of $121,000.
In 2023, Fannie Mae reduced the down payment requirement on multi-unit properties. This created a tremendous opportunity for buyers looking for a way to afford a home. Prior to the change, a substantial down payment of 15-25% was required. Now, buyers can buy a duplex, triplex or quadplex with just 5% down!
A 5% APR is not great for a mortgage. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is around 3%. A 5% APR is not great for federal student loans, which tend to have rates from around 3% to 5%.
So a good mortgage rate could look drastically different from one day to the next. Right now, good mortgage rates for a 15-year fixed loan generally start in the high-5% range, while good rates for a 30-year mortgage typically start in the high-6% range.
According to Rachel Sanborn Lawrence, advisory services director and certified financial planner at Ellevest, you should feel OK about taking on purposeful debt that's below 10% APR, and even better if it's below 5% APR.
Is 5–10% Down Enough on a House? Remember, if you're a first-time home buyer, a 5–10% down payment is fine. Keep in mind, any down payment less than 20% will come with that monthly PMI fee, which will increase your monthly mortgage payments.
How much down payment for a $300,000 house? The down payment needed for a $300,000 house can range from 3% to 20% of the purchase price, which means you'd need to save between $9,000 and $60,000. If you get a conventional loan, that is. You'll need $10,500, or 3.5% of the home price, with a FHA loan.
First-time home buyer programs include FHA loans, USDA loans, VA loans, Fannie Mae's HomeReady mortgage, and Freddie Mac's Home Possible mortgage. These programs offer low down payment requirements and flexible credit score guidelines.
Zillow says seven metropolitan areas in the U.S., including four in California, require homebuyers to have an annual income of $200,000 or more to comfortably afford a home. Here's where and the annual income needed to comfortably afford a home: San Jose - $454,296. San Francisco - $339,864.
A 10% profit would be on the lower end, and a 20% profit would be considered a 'home-run' by most rehabber's standards. So for example, if a property's After Repair Value (Resale Value) is $250,000 a rehabber should expect to make $25,000 on the lower end to $50,000. on the higher end.
But to answer your question, when you sell the home the full balance of your loan comes due. You pay the loan off with the proceeds from the sale. A title company sorts it all out and makes sure the money goes to the right accounts at closing.
The Bottom Line. On a $70,000 salary using a 50% DTI, you could potentially afford a house worth between $200,000 to $250,000, depending on your specific financial situation.
You'll need a down payment of $12,000, or 3 percent, if you're buying a $400K house with a conventional loan. Meanwhile, an FHA loan requires a slightly higher down payment of $14,000, equivalent to 3.5 percent of the purchase price.
While 20% down is often recommended, putting down 10% is still a solid option for many home buyers, especially if you have good credit and stable income. A 10% down payment option is less than the typical 20%, but it can still open up a range of home loan options like conventional loans and FHA loans.
The house you can afford on a $70,000 income will likely be between $290,000 to $360,000. However, your home-buying budget depends on quite a few financial factors — not just your salary.
For a $500,000 home, you'll likely need a good to excellent credit score: 760+: Best rates and terms. 740-759: Slightly higher rates.
If you can afford it, putting 20% down on a house is ideal. It helps you avoid private mortgage insurance (PMI), reduces your loan amount, and lowers monthly payments.
Typically you want to see enough cash flow that it makes it worth it at the minimum down payment requirement for that property type. If you cant cash flow to an acceptable level until you put 50% down, this tells me the deal is not a good deal for the average investor.
The amount you borrow with your mortgage is called the principal or the mortgage balance. Each month, part of your monthly payment goes toward paying off the principal and part pays interest on the loan. Interest is what the lender charges you for lending you money.
Generally, what's considered a bad interest rate is anything higher than 10%. Ideally, you want to get an interest rate that's below 5% — but with little or bad credit, that can be harder to achieve.
As of Monday, January 13, 2025, current interest rates in California are 7.33% for a 30-year fixed mortgage and 6.61% for a 15-year fixed mortgage. This aligns with current national mortgage rate trends.