How Much Can You Afford

How Much House Can You Afford in the St. Louis & St. Charles County Area?

Each month you will be required to make payments to the mortgage company on the borrowed amount and interest accrued. Your mortgage payment will depend on how much money you put down and the interest rate you get for your loan. At the beginning of your loan, your monthly payment will be mostly interest, but with each year more and more of the payment will be applied toward your principal.

Remember your monthly payment will need to include the factors of tax and home insurance. These factors are always built-in to your mortgage payment. Most online calculators do not reflect these two items so make sure you manually add them in for an accurate picture of your monthly payment.

If your down payment is less than 20% you may be required to obtain Private Mortgage Insurance with your lender. Private Mortgage Insurance protects the mortgage lender against financial loss if a borrower defaults. It is usually possible to cancel private mortgage insurance at some point, such as when your loan balance is reduced to a certain amount.