A guide to calculating mortgage payments

Before buying a home, it is essential to know whether or not it is within your budget. Unless you have substantial assets, it will be necessary to take out a mortgage. For most people, a mortgage will be the greatest outgoing expense that they ever undertake. Accordingly, it is necessary to assess the long-term expense involved in taking up a mortgage in the first place. This guide provides an overview to calculating mortgage repayments.

Assessing the appropriate level of monthly repayments

Before even considering a mortgage, it is necessary to make an assessment of monthly income. There is no point in speculating about future income, rather it is necessary to calculate potential repayments according to your present economic realities. Most mortgage experts suggest a maximum repayment range equivalent to no more than 35% of monthly income. For example, if a family has a monthly income of £2,000, then they should not be spending any more than £7,00 per month. The reason for this conservative approach lies in future proofing the mortgage from possible economic stresses at a later date. It must be remembered that a mortgage will usually run anywhere from 15 to 30 years, and that during this time, not only will the mortgage holder have variations in income, but the economy also may be undergo variation too. In the worst case scenario, interest rates sometimes rise considerably. Due to this, it is important not to overstretch yourself.

Using an online mortgage repayment calculator

The next step involves using a home loan calculator,in order to calculate the monthly repayments. As the monthly mortgage budget is already known, it becomes a straightforward task to run various potential mortgage amounts through a mortgage calculator. Any mortgage which results in a higher monthly payment than the allotted budget is dismissed. This will leave the prospective mortgage holder with a range of results which coincide with their mortgage budget. By using these mortgage tools, it becomes possible to quickly ascertain the potential mortgage products which are within the budget . At this stage, it becomes a simple matter of comparing the mortgages which are on offer in order to select a house loan which represents the best long-term value. Many mortgages come with highly competitive introductory rates. However, it is important to note the overall cost of the mortgage in order to see which one provides the best value for money. In this regard, mortgage calculators are a great help because they provide data not only on monthly repayments, but also on the overall cost of the mortgage. By assessing the monthly mortgage budget and then comparing long-term mortgage costs, it becomes possible to select the mortgage which will best suit your needs.