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.
The biggest benefits of putting 20 percent down on a house are having a smaller loan size, lower monthly payments, and no mortgage insurance. For example, imagine you're buying a house worth $300,000 at a 4 percent interest rate.
If you put 10% down, you'll owe approximately $121 a month in PMI insurance. If you were putting that money in a low-cost index fund instead, you would have over $14,000 in a retirement account after seven years, assuming historical returns.
A bigger down payment helps you minimize borrowing. The more you pay upfront, the smaller your loan. That means you pay less in total interest costs over the life of the loan, and you also benefit from lower monthly payments.
Yes, putting 20% down lowers your home buying costs. Borrowers who can make a big down payment will save a lot over the life of their mortgage loan. But a smaller down payment allows many first-time home buyers to get on the housing ladder sooner.
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 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.
You are better qualified for a home loan if you have a 50 percent down payment. From a lender's perspective, borrowers who contribute a higher amount of their own money to a home purchase have more to lose than borrowers with small down payments, and therefore, are less likely to default.
The main reason you'd take out a loan for more than 50% of the price and not put down 50% in cash would be because you'd be investing that money to hopefully make it work for you to earn more from your investments. There is no guarantee, however, that you will make money in the stock market.
If the home price is $500,000, a 20% down payment is equal to $100,000, resulting in a total mortgage amount of $400,000 ($500,000 - $100,000). The average down payment in the US is about 6% of the home value.
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.
To purchase a $300K house, you may need to make between $50,000 and $74,500 a year. This is a rule of thumb, and the specific salary will vary depending on your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, the type of home loan, loan term, and mortgage rate.
To summarize
The difference between putting down 20% versus 5% is obvious. The amount of interest and private mortgage insurance you save is significant. The difference between a 5% down payment and 10% down payment becomes less significant. Going into home ownership with a solid savings balance is necessary.
If you're taking out a Federal Housing Administration, or FHA, loan and putting down less than 20%, you'll still need to pay private mortgage insurance each month, but it'll be called a mortgage insurance premium, or MIP, instead of PMI.
A larger down payment generally means you're a less risky borrower, and a less risky borrower means a lower interest rate. A lower interest rate will help you save on your monthly payment and allow you to pay less interest over the life of the loan.
However, offering a down payment of 25 percent can improve the affordability of the loan. For example, when your down payment is larger, the total loan balance decreases, which lowers the monthly payment. Likewise, offering a down payment of 25 percent brings your loan-to-value ratio to 75 percent.
As a general rule, your total homeownership expenses shouldn't take up more than 33% of your total monthly budget. If your anticipated homeownership expenses take up more than 33% of your monthly budget, you'll need to adjust your mortgage choice.
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 the couple making $80,000 per year, the Rule of 28 limits their monthly mortgage payments to $1,866. Ideally, you have a down payment of at least 10%, and up to 20%, of your future home's purchase price. Add that amount to your maximum mortgage amount, and you have a good idea of the most you can spend on a home.
While buyers may still need to pay down debt, save up cash and qualify for a mortgage, the bottom line is that buying a home on a middle-class salary is still possible — in some places. Below, check out 15 cities where you can become a homeowner while earning $40,000 a year or less.
The usual rule of thumb is that you can afford a mortgage two to 2.5 times your annual income. That's a $120,000 to $150,000 mortgage at $60,000.
Conventional Loan Requirements
It's recommended you have a credit score of 620 or higher when you apply for a conventional loan. If your score is below 620, lenders either won't be able to approve your loan or may be required to offer you a higher interest rate, which can result in higher monthly payments.
What you can afford: With a $50k annual salary, you're earning $4,167 per month before tax. So, according to the 28/36 rule, you should spend no more than $1,167 on your mortgage payment per month, which is 28% of your monthly pre-tax income.