How to Be Mortgage Smart- Do’s and Don’ts for Buying a Home

Do you know how to be mortgage smart?  It's home buying season once again and the housing market has now come back after a few years of tough times.

In fact, as I write this, I'm in the middle of emailing documents and wiring money to buy a rental property.

But that's a subject for a later article.

Anyway, when it comes to financing a home and getting the right mortgage, you have to be wise.

If not, it's extremely easy to find yourself in a huge bind that you didn't expect because you didn't take the time to fully understand what you were getting into.

Learn to Be Smart When Buying a Home

So today I'm going to show you how to be mortgage smart when buying a house. Especially if you're a first-time home buyer.

I'll cover what I believe are the best mortgages you can get, as well as the worst.

Let's start with the worst first.

These  mortgage pitfalls are very easy to get into because they sound attractive, but can cause you big problems in the long run.

No Down Payment Mortgage

A 100% mortgage with no down payment is very risky.  It comes with a higher interest rate as well as the privilege of paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), which costs around $100 per $100,000 borrowed.

You end up paying a ton of interest and PMI simply because you failed to save for a down payment.  That causes you to waste tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

Anytime you buy a house and you don't have any money, you're putting yourself at risk.  You really can't afford the house.

A Low Down Payment Mortgage

These are only a little better than a 100% down mortgage.  You still pay PMI and a higher interest rate.  The only difference is that you put a little skin in the game in the form of a small down payment (usually about 3%).

Because of this, it takes a loooong time to really gain any equity.  These types of mortgages include VA loans and FHA loans.  They sound good on the surface, but aren't ideal in the long run because of the higher interest rates, fees, and PMI.

Interest Only Mortgage

These loans are attractive for the low payments.  The problem is that it takes many years of payments to pay back interest before you ever gain any equity in your home investment.  Because of that, it could literally take over a decade of paying interest before you start gaining any equity in the property whatsoever.

Think about it, a decade of payments with nothing to show for it.  This is bad, bad mojo.  Never do an interest only loan, you'll live to regret it!

Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM)

With an ARM, they hook you in with a low interest rate in the beginning.  But after a certain time period, your interest rate fluctuates according to market conditions.

The result is that your mortgage payment can go up by hundreds of dollars very suddenly, putting you in a huge bind.  Don't do this kind of loan, EVER!

How to Be Smart About Getting a Home Loan

Now that you know what mortgage pitfalls to avoid, let's talk about how to be smart about getting a mortgage that won't put you at a major financial disadvantage.

Of course, preaching against debt like I do, I believe the 100% down plan (paying cash) is best.

But hey, even though more people do it than you might think, it's not something most people can tackle.

If you can do it, great.  If not, it pays to be mortgage wise and do a few basic things.

• Have a Substantial Down Payment- Why?  It proves you are disciplined enough to save your money and keeps you from having to borrow as much.  Your down payment should be 10% at the very minimum, but 20% is much better.  20% allows you to avoid adding PMI payments to your mortgage, as well as thousands in interest over the life of the loan.
• Get a fixed Rate Loan-  You should get a fixed rate loan of no more than 15 years.  Less if possible.  The shorter the term of the loan, the more money you save.  Compared to a 30 year loan, a loan of 15 years or less will save you tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand dollars during the life of the loan.
• No More Than 25% of Your Take Home Pay-  Your house payment should be 25 % of your monthly take home pay or less.  Any more than that can drain money away from other necessary things in your budget.  It also gives you a some leeway if your income goes down for a period of time.

Know What You're Getting Into When Financing a Home

Remember, buying a house is usually the largest purchase you will ever make.  If you use a mortgage to finance your home, it pays to be mortgage smart and know what you're getting into.  It will save you tons of money and potential stress in the long run, guaranteed!

Question:  Ever taken out a mortgage you regretted later? Leave a comment and tell me about your experience.