Buying vs. Renting: Which is More Expensive Upfront?
Having little to no money in the bank can be one of the main deterrents to homeownership. In this case, the logical option would be to rent since it would be less cost upfront, right? Well, if you are eligible for a VA Loan, this may not be necessarily true. Let’s do the math!
Meet Cindy, Joe & Mark
Cindy & Joe are both looking to buy a $500,000 property. Joe is eligible to finance the purchase through a VA Loan. Cindy on the other hand is not VA eligible, and will purchase via a conventional mortgage.
Now Mark is eligible for a VA Loan but feels like he can’t afford the upfront costs of buying a home right now, so he’s looking to rent. He’s looking to rent a home for about $2500, which is comparable to the $500,000 property that Cindy & Joe want to purchase (see rentometer.com).
VA Loan Benefits: 100% Financing
The last 5 years or so, finding financing to purchase a home with no down payment was relatively easy - granted you had a decent credit score. There were an abundance of 2nd mortgage products available so you can do an 80/20 loan (80% first mortgage and 20% 2nd mortgage) and avoid paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI).
Now if you didn’t want to pay the higher rate with the 2nd mortgage - you could just do one loan and pay the PMI. The PMI would add a few hundred dollars to your monthly mortgage bill, but at least you didn’t have to place a hefty down payment to buy the property.
Well things have drastically changed over the last 6-8 months. The lax mortgage lending guidelines that were in place during the recent real estate boom we’ve experienced has finally caught up with many lenders. Even with Hawaii’s real estate market not seeing the same dramatic drop in values as the case with most cities in the continental US - we are still affecting by this.
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