EMI Calculator before buying a house – Understand your budget

The average cost of a house in the USA is $350,000**. Before taking a loan, make sure to know this: *“What will be the monthly cost (EMI)?”* For this, Free Mortgage Calculator is the easiest source!

What is a Mortgage Calculator?

This is an online tool which tells you the EMI by entering 3 things:

  1. Loan Amount ($200,000)
  2. Interest Rate (7.5%)
  3. Duration (15 or 30 years)
    Next in 1 second!

4 Benefits for USA

  1. Budget Planning:
    You can plan your home expenses ($5,000/month) by knowing the EMI
  2. Save Interest:
    Compare 15 years vs 30 years ($100,000+ difference!)
  3. Down Payment Estimate:
    20% down payment ($70,000) → EMI $500/month less
  4. Tax/Insurance Calculation:
    You can add property tax ($6,000/year) and homeowners insurance ($1,200) and see it

How to use it? (3 Steps)

  1. Loan Details USA:
  • House price: $400,000
  • Down payment: $80,000 (20%)
  • Interest: 7.2% (average for 2024)
  • Duration: 30 years
  1. Add Extra Costs (If you want):
  • Property tax: $300/month
  • Home insurance: $100/month
  • PMI (if down payment <20%): $150/month
  1. Click “Calculate”:
    Main EMI + Total Interest will be shown

Best Free USA Calculators:

CalculatorSpecial thingLink
ZillowEstimate the value of the housezillow.com/mortgage-calculator
NerdWalletShow the effect of Credit scorenerdwallet.com/mortgages/calculator
BankrateFHA/USDA loans optionsbankrate.com/mortgages/mortgage-calculator
SmartAssetAdd Local tax ratessmartasset.com/mortgage/mortgage-calculator

Expert Tips for USA:

  1. Check your Credit Score:
    740+ score = 6.5% good | 620 score = 8.5% good
  2. Ways to avoid PMI:
    If you give 20% down payment, you won’t have to pay PMI ($100-$300/month)
  3. Buy Points:
    Buy “points” to reduce loan (1 point = 1% extra on loan)
  4. ARM vs Fixed:
Fixed loan (same loan for 30 years) | ARM (less loan for first 5 years)

US Example:

John & Evelyn(Texas):

  • House price: $350,000
  • Down payment: $70,000 (20%)
  • Loan amount: $280,000
  • Interest: 7%
  • Tenure: 30 years
    The result:
  • Main EMI: $1,863
  • Total Interest: $390,000
    Note: Property tax ($500/month) and insurance ($150/month) separately!

Never make these 3 mistakes:

  1. Only looking at the EMI:
    Forgetting the closing costs ($10,000+)
  2. Not taking pre-approval:
    Make sure to take the pre-approval letter from the bank before seeing the house
  3. Put in adjustable rate:
    In ARM loans, interest can increase up to 2x (after 5 years)

What to do now?

  1. Request a Credit Report:
    Get a free report from AnnualCreditReport.com
  2. Try a Calculator:
    Enter your details on the Zillow calculator
  3. Talk to a Local Lender:
    Credit unions (NFCU, PenFed) offer much better rates

“Buying a home is America’s dream – the calculator is the first step to making it a reality!”

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