With a 30-year mortgage, you make 360 monthly payments. Because you pay a smaller portion of the amount you borrowed (or principal) each month, your monthly payments are lower than with a 15-year loan. If you can afford the higher monthly payment that comes with a 15-year fixed mortgage, this can help you pay off your home and free up funds for retirement. Over the life of the loan, you'll spend less interest compared to a 30-year mortgage, and usually a 15-year fixed mortgage means a higher interest rate.
Because a 30-year mortgage has a longer term, your monthly payments will be lower and the interest rate on the loan will be higher. So, over a 30-year period, you'll pay less money each month, but you'll also make payments twice as long and give the bank thousands of dollars more in interest. A 15-year mortgage is designed to pay off in 15 years. A 30-year mortgage is structured to be paid in full in 30 years.
The interest rate is lower on a 15-year mortgage, and because the term is half as long, you'll pay much less interest over the life of the loan. Of course, that means your payment will also be higher than with a 30-year mortgage. Despite having a lower rate, your monthly payments will almost always cost less with a 30-year mortgage than with a 15-year mortgage. A 30-year mortgage has a higher interest rate than a 15-year mortgage, and you'll pay more interest than principal payments in a 30-year mortgage.
If you have enough money to make additional mortgage payments, Andrews says it's worth considering if you want to invest that money elsewhere that offers a higher return, rather than assuming that the investment involves relatively less risk, since paying the mortgage is often less risky than other initiatives. The PMI is charged as a monthly fee added to the mortgage payment, but it's temporary, meaning it ceases to exist once you pay 20% of the mortgage. While a 30-year mortgage can make your monthly payments more affordable, a 15-year mortgage generally costs less in the long run. You can make the right mortgage decision if you choose a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage from the start. Bankrate's mortgage calculator can help you estimate monthly payments on a 30-year mortgage compared to a 15-year mortgage, so you can have a clearer idea of how much you can afford to pay for a home based on your income.
The calculation of the back of the envelope is how much (or if) the return on foreign investment, minus the capital gains tax due, exceeds the mortgage interest rate after accounting for the deduction of mortgage interest. A 15-year mortgage costs less in the long term, as total interest payments are lower than those of a 30-year mortgage. If you already have a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and are interested in refinancing a 15-year mortgage, there are a couple of points key that you should consider. The average interest rate on a 30-year mortgage has been between 0.5 and 1% higher than that of a 15-year mortgage over the past few years.
A mortgage calculator can show you the impact of different rates on your monthly payment, as well as the difference between a 15-year and 30-year mortgage. A percentage point may not seem like a big difference, but keep in mind that with a 30-year mortgage, you'll have to pay that difference twice as long as you would with a 15-year mortgage. Talk to the mortgage loan specialists at Churchill Mortgage, who trust RamseyTrusted, to get a 15-year mortgage that fits your budget so you can pay off your home quickly. If a 15-year mortgage exceeds that 25% limit, you might be tempted to choose a 30-year mortgage to lower your monthly payment.
