As a prospective homeowner, determining your monthly mortgage payment is essential, as it’s usually the largest recurring expense you’ll have to budget for. With the help of our mortgage calculator, you can easily estimate how much your monthly mortgage payment will be.
Over the last six weeks, mortgage rates have fallen more than half a percent and are expected to continue declining throughout the year. As of September 12, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate was 6.12%, the lowest level it's been since February 2023, according to Freddie Mac. When the Federal Reserve cuts rates, expect mortgage rates to fall further. The first 0.25% rate cut is expected to be announced at the September meeting next week.
With the calculator, you’ll be able to view your mortgage payment for a variety of scenarios — different home prices, down payment amounts, terms and mortgage rates. Also try our new tools, in partnership with Bankrate, to compare mortgage rates available today.
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How to use the mortgage calculator
Understandably, you may be struggling with determining just how much you’ll owe on your mortgage, as the mortgage payment calculation looks like this: M = P [ i(1 + i)^n ] / [ (1 + i)^n – 1]. However, with our mortgage calculator, you can forego all the complicated calculations and simply enter in a few pieces of information.
First, you'll enter the overall price of your home, if you’re buying, or the current value of your home if you’re refinancing. You’ll also include either the down payment (the cash you plan on paying upfront towards the home) or the amount of equity you have (the value of the home, minus what you owe on it).
After this, you’ll enter the term length of your loan. If refinancing, enter how many years are remaining on your current loan. Typically, most mortgages are 30-year mortgages, but you can choose between several term lengths to decide which loan term is right for you. You can then compare how different interest rates will affect your monthly payment. Entering your annual household income and credit score will show you how much you'll be able to reasonably afford.
Using the mortgage calculator can also help you determine how much to put down on your home. While it's recommended to put down 20% to get the best rates, it's not necessary, and you can play with this number to see how it affects your mortgage rate.
Saving on your mortgage rate
Lenders consider many factors when determining the interest rate on your mortgage, including down payment, loan term and the price of the property. The biggest factor they take into consideration, however, is your credit score. Boosting your credit score could potentially save you thousands of dollars on your home mortgage.
The chart below, from MyFICO, shows how much you can expect to pay depending on where your credit score stands, based on a 30-year fixed mortgage of $350,000.
| FICO Score | APR | Monthly Payment | Total Interest Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 760-850 | 6.447% | $2,200 | $442,019 |
| 700-759 | 6.669% | $2,251 | $460,461 |
| 680-699 | 6.846% | $2,292 | $475,290 |
| 660-679 | 7.06% | $2,343 | $493,365 |
| 640-659 | 7.49% | $2,445 | $530,148 |
| 620-639 | 8.036% | $2,577 | $577,707 |
Here are a few other tips, besides raising your credit score, that can help you score a low mortgage rate.
- Increase your down payment: The higher your down payment, the less principal and less interest you'll have to pay over the life of the loan. You'll likely need a 20% down payment to get the best rates.
- Shop around: Because different lenders offer different rates, it's important to get at least three quotes when shopping for a mortgage in order to take advantage of the lowest rates.
- Consider an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM): An ARM could be a good option for you, especially if you plan on selling your home sometime in the future. These mortgages offer fixed interest rates that are often lower than those for traditional mortgages for a set number of years. With this tool, you can see how much your monthly payments will be during the fixed period of an ARM, as well as when the introductory period expires. Once the fixed period is over, your mortgage rate can go up or down based on the market.
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