Mortgage Mavin
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Describe the Analysis
Main goal:
  ?  
Options:
Include property tax
Include prepayments
Include tax deductions
  ?  
Describe the Loan
 
Mortgage type:
  ?  
Loan term (in years):
  ?  
Loan amount ($):
  ?  
Interest rate (%):
  ?  
Months before note must be paid:
  ?  
Describe the Rate Adjustment Rules
Months before first rate adjustment:
  ?  
Periodic rate cap (%):
  ?  
Maximum lifetime interest rate (%):
  ?  
Number of rate adjustments:
  ?  
Months between rate adjustments:
  ?  
Ending interest rate (%):
  ?  
Cost to convert ($):
  ?  
Months before fixed rate begins:
  ?  
Describe the Costs Paid at Closing
Down payment ($):
  ?  
Points (%):
  ?  
Other costs and fees ($):
  ?  
Describe the Prepayment Strategy
Number of prepayments per year:
  ?  
Amount per prepayment ($):
  ?  
Enter Tax and Insurance Info
Annual property tax ($):
  ?  
Annual hazard insurance ($):
  ?  
Annual mortgage insurance ($):
  ?  
Appraised value of home ($):
  ?  
Income tax rate (%):
 
  ?  



Summary Report



To create a report, enter data into the Mortgage Calculator and click the Calculate button.

Frequently-Asked Questions


Instructions: To find the answer to a frequently-asked question, simply click on the question.

See also:   Mortgage Case Studies


How do I use the mortgage calculator?

The Mortgage Mavin calculator is accessible from the Calculator link on the left side of every Mortgage Mavin web page. Working with the calculator involves a simple, three-step process:

  • Describe the analysis. Choose your main goal and select options - produce an amortization schedule, include taxes and insurance, assess the prepayment effects, and compute tax savings.

  • Enter data. Based on the options you select, the calculator will prompt you for inputs (mortgage type, interest rate, loan amount, loan term, etc.) needed to conduct the analysis.

  • Report results. After you provide the data requested, click the Calculate button. The calculator displays a summary report that clearly presents key findings, based on data you entered.

Which goal should I choose for my analysis?

The mortgage calculator gives you a choice of six different goals. Here is what you get with each option.

  • Find monthly mortgage. Select this goal when you are only interested in the monthly mortgage payment. Based on your input (loan amount, loan term, interest rate), the calculator will report monthly payment (principal and interest). If you wish, you can include the effect of other factors (e.g., property tax, hazard insurance, mortgage insurance, and prepayments) on the monthly payment. And finally, you can create an amortization schedule that tracks the amount paid and the amount due over the life of the mortgage.

  • Find total mortgage cost. This option provides everything that you get with the monthly mortgage option (described above). In addition, you get more detail on mortgage cost (e.g., closing costs, points, settlement fees); and you can evaluate the effect of tax deductions for points and interest.

  • Find savings from prepayment. Use this option to understand prepayment effects - how much quicker you can pay off your mortgage and how much money you can save over the life of your mortgage. In addition, this option provides everything that you get with the monthly mortgage option (described above).

  • Compare two mortgages. This option allows you to easily compare two mortgages - interest expense, settlement costs, private mortgage insurance, loan duration, etc. The final report shows total cost over the lifetime of each mortgage, with and without tax deductions. An amortization report allows you to compare total cost for each mortgage at any point in time. And finally, this option computes monthly mortgage payments for each mortgage.

  • Evaluate refinancing plan. This option allows you to easily assess the costs and benefits of refinancing your current mortgage. It compares loan duration and cost, with and without refinancing. And it shows how long it will take for refinancing savings to pay for refinancing costs.

  • Display amortization table. This option allows you to easily generate an amortization table (aka, amortization chart, amortization schedule) for ten types of mortgage. The amortization table shows how much of each mortgage payment goes toward principal, how much goes toward interest, and the amount required to retire the loan in each payment period. Additionally, for each payment period, this amortization table shows the total loan cost (principal, interest, closing costs, etc.) if the loan is paid off in that payment period.

What kinds of problems can the mortgage calculator handle?

This home mortgage calculator is versatile. Use it to answer common questions about home loans, such as:

What kinds of mortgages can the mortgage calculator handle?

This mortgage calculator works with many kinds of mortgages - four kinds of fixed-rate mortgage and six kinds of adjustable-rate mortgage, as shown in the table below.

Fixed-Rate Mortgages Adjustable-Rate Mortgages
Traditional fixed-rate
Biweekly mortgage
Balloon loan
Interest-only loan
Traditional adjustable-rate mortgage
Convertible ARM
Two-step mortgage
Balloon ARM
Interest-only ARM
Graduated loan

To specify the mortgage that you want to work with, select an entry from the "Mortgage Type" dropdown box. The current entry is "Fixed-Rate Balloon", so the current analysis will find the monthly mortgage payment for a Fixed-Rate Balloon.

What are the meanings of the various financial terms used by the mortgage calculator?

For help with any financial term used by the mortgage calculator, click the Help Icon ,   ?   , to its right.

If you need additional help, check the Mortgage Mavin Glossary. To access the glossary, click the Glossary hyperlink that appears on the left side of every Mortgage Mavin web page.

What is the history of the mortgage calculator?

For most of the 20th century, home buyers, lending institutions, and real estate professionals relied on dense, hard-to-read tables to answer simple questions about mortgage properties (payment amount, loan duration, interest expense, etc.). Obtaining information was tedious, and human error was rampant.

Toward the end of the century, handheld financial calculators became the tool of choice. This was an improvement, but there were still problems. Using the calculators required training, interpreting the results required experience, and there was a price. Handheld calculators are not free.

Today, in the 21st century, everything is better. No more hard-to-read tables. No need for costly, hard-to-use handheld calculators. Mortgage Mavin's online mortgage calculator provides the answers you need - fast, easy, and free. The information you need is just a mouse click away.

Sample Problems


This section shows how to use the mortgage calculator to answer a common mortgage question. For more sample problems, see the Mortgage Mavin case studies.

Problem

Bob needs a mortgage loan of $250,000. He is considering a fixed-rate balloon loan. Mortgage payments are based on a 30-year loan term, with a starting interest rate of 6.5%. The balloon note term is 5 years. This means that Bob will need to pay off the unpaid loan balance in full, after 5 years.

In 5 years, when Bob pays off the loan, what will the balance be?

Solution:

As part of its summary report, the mortgage calculator generates an amortization table, which shows the principal and interest paid in every payment period. However, the Mortgage Mavin calculator provides some "extra" information when the main goal is "Find monthly mortgage". In particular, it shows the remaining balance after every payment period. Therefore, to solve this problem, you just need to produce an amortization table and check the balance at the 5-year mark. Here's how.

First, Choose "Find monthly mortgage" from the Main Goal dropdown box. And in the Options section, check "Show amortization schedule". This will ensure that the summary report generates an amortization schedule that shows the loan balance after 5 years (i.e., after month 60).

The calculator will prompt you for the data it needs. Provide the data, as shown below.

Describe the Analysis
Main goal:
 
Options:
Show amortization schedule
Include mortgage insurance
Include hazard insurance
Include property tax
Include prepayments
Include tax deductions
Describe the Loan
Mortgage type:
Loan term (in years):
Loan amount ($):
Interest rate:
Months before note must be paid:

After you press the Calculate button, the mortgage calculator generates a summary report that includes an amortization table. The amortization table shows the principal due after each payment period. By examining month 60 of the amortization table, you see that the remaining balance after 5 years (60 months) is $234,026.75. Thus, the balloon payment due after 5 years (60 months) is $234,026.75.


Problem

Ted needs a mortgage loan of $200,000. He has chosen a 30-year fixed-rate loan, with a starting interest rate of 6.5%.

What will Ted's monthly payment be for principal and interest?

Solution:

First, Choose "Find monthly mortgage" from the Main Goal dropdown box of the Mortgage Mavin calculator. And in the Options section, check "Include amortization schedule".

Based on these settings, the calculator will prompt you for the data it needs. Provide the data, as shown below.

Describe the Analysis
Main goal:
 
Options:
Show amortization schedule
Include mortgage insurance
Include hazard insurance
Include property tax
Include prepayments
Include tax deductions
Describe the Loan
Mortgage type:
Loan term (in years):
Loan amount ($):
Interest rate:

After you press the Calculate button, the mortgage calculator generates a summary report, which shows that Ted will pay $1264.15 each month for principal and interest.

In addition, the amortization table shows the contribution of principal and interest in each payment period. For example, in the first payment period, Ted pays $180.82 toward principal and $1,083.33 toward interest.

Problem

Alice is buying a new home for $220,000. She will make a down payment of $20,000 and get a $200,000 fixed-rate mortgage. The mortgage is a 30-year loan with an 8 percent interest rate. At closing, she will pay one discount point and $3,000 in other costs.

Suppose that the fair market value of Alice's home is $220,000, and the annual cost of private mortgage insurance is $1,800 per year.

What will be the total mortgage cost over the 30-year life of the loan? Suppose Alice sells her home after 10 years. What will be the total cost of the mortgage after 10 years?

Solution:

As part of its summary report, the Total Cost Mortgage Calculator generates an amortization table. Most amortization tables show just the principal and interest paid in every payment period. However, the amortization table produced by this calculator also shows the total cost of the mortgage at every payment period. Therefore, to solve this problem, you just need to produce an amortization table and check the total cost after 10 years and after 30 years. Here's how.

First, choose "Find total mortgage cost" from the Main Goal dropdown box. And in the Options section, check "Show amortization schedule" and check "Include mortgage insurance". This tells the calculator to produce an amortization table that accounts for private mortgage insurance as part of the total cost.

Given these settings, the calculator will prompt you for the data it needs. Provide the data, as shown below.

Describe the Analysis
Main goal:
 
Options:
Show amortization schedule
Include mortgage insurance
Include hazard insurance
Include property tax
Include prepayments
Include tax deductions
Describe the Loan
Mortgage type:
Loan term (in years):
Loan amount ($):
Interest rate:
Describe the Costs Paid at Closing
Down payment ($):
Points (%):
Other costs and fees ($):
Enter Insurance Info
Annual mortgage insurance ($):
Appraised value of home ($):

After you press the Calculate button, the mortgage calculator generates a summary report that includes an amortization table. The amortization table shows that Alice's total mortgage cost over the 30-year life of this fixed-rate mortgage will be $571,148.20. The amortization table also shows the total cost after 10 years. If Alice sells her home (and pays off the mortgage) after 10 years, her total cost will be $394,402.23.

Problem

Betty is buying a new home for $220,000. She will make a down payment of $20,000 and get a $200,000 biweekly fixed-rate mortgage. The mortgage is a 30-year loan with an 8 percent interest rate. At closing, she will pay one discount point and $3,000 in other costs.

What will be the total mortgage cost over the 30-year life of the loan? Suppose Betty sells her home after 10 years. What will be the total cost of the mortgage after 10 years?

Solution:

As part of its summary report, the Total Cost Mortgage Calculator generates an amortization table. Most amortization tables show just the principal and interest paid in every payment period. However, the amortization table produced by this calculator also shows the total cost of the mortgage at every payment period. Therefore, to solve this problem, you just need to produce an amortization table and check the total cost after 10 years and after 30 years. Here's how.

First, Choose "Find total mortgage cost" from the Main Goal dropdown box. And in the Options section, check "Show amortization schedule" and check "Include mortgage insurance". This tells the calculator to produce an amortization table that accounts for private mortgage insurance as part of the total cost.

Given these settings, the calculator will prompt you for the data it needs. Provide the data, as shown below.

Describe the Analysis
Main goal:
 
Options:
Show amortization schedule
Include mortgage insurance
Include hazard insurance
Include property tax
Include prepayments
Include tax deductions
Describe the Loan
Mortgage type:
Loan term (in years):
Loan amount ($):
Interest rate:
Describe the Costs Paid at Closing
Down payment ($):
Points (%):
Other costs and fees ($):
Enter Insurance Info
Annual mortgage insurance ($):
Appraised value of home ($):

After you press the Calculate button, the mortgage calculator generates a summary report that includes an amortization table. The amortization table shows that Betty's total mortgage cost over the 30-year life of this biweekly fixed-rate loan will be $570,876.06. The amortization table also shows the total cost after 10 years. If Betty sells her home (and pays off the mortgage) after 10 years, her total cost will be $394,321.43.

Problem

Carla is buying a new home for $220,000. She will make a down payment of $20,000 and get a $200,000 fixed-rate balloon loan. Monthly mortgage payments are based on a 30-year loan with an 8 percent interest rate.

The balloon term is 60 months. This means that Carla will have to pay off the loan balance in 60 months (5 years).

At closing, Carla will pay one discount point and $3,000 in other costs.

After 5 years, when Carla pays off the loan, what will be the loan balance? What will be the total cost of the mortgage?

Solution:

As part of its summary report, the Total Cost Mortgage Calculator generates many outputs, including an amortization table. In addition to the principal and interest paid in every payment period, this amortization table shows the total cost of the mortgage and the loan balance in every payment period. Therefore, to solve this problem, you just need to produce an amortization table and check the total cost and loan balance after 5 years. Here's how.

First, Choose "Find total mortgage cost" from the Main Goal dropdown box. And in the Options section, check "Show amortization schedule". Given these settings, the calculator will prompt you for the data it needs. Provide the data, as shown below.

Describe the Analysis
Main goal:
 
Options:
Show amortization schedule
Include mortgage insurance
Include hazard insurance
Include property tax
Include prepayments
Include tax deductions
Describe the Loan
Mortgage type:
Loan term (in years):
Loan amount ($):
Interest rate:
Months before note must be paid:
Describe the Costs Paid at Closing
Down payment ($):
Points (%):
Other costs and fees ($):

After you press the Calculate button, the mortgage calculator generates a summary report that includes an amortization table. The amortization table shows that the balance remaining is $190,138.92, and the total cost of the mortgage is $303,191.32.

The mortgage calculator also produces a table that shows the components of total mortgage cost for this fixed-rate balloon loan. Relevant portions of that table appear below.

Mortgage attributes Values
Principal due: $190,138.92
Principal paid: $9,861.08
Total interest expense: $78,191.32
Down payment: $20,000
Points: $2,000
Other loan costs: $3,000
Total mortgage cost: $303,191.32

Problem

David is buying a new home for $220,000. He will make a down payment of $20,000 and get a $200,000 fixed-rate interest-only loan, with an 8 percent interest rate.

At closing, David will pay one discount point and $3,000 in other costs. The mortgage requires David to pay off the loan balance in 60 months (5 years).

After 5 years, when David pays off the loan, what will be the loan balance? What will be the total cost of the mortgage?

Solution:

As part of its summary report, the Total Cost Mortgage Calculator generates many outputs, including an amortization table. In addition to the principal and interest paid in every payment period, this amortization table shows the total cost of the mortgage and the loan balance in every payment period. Therefore, to solve this problem, you just need to produce an amortization table and check the total cost and loan balance after 5 years. Here's how.

First, Choose "Find total mortgage cost" from the Main Goal dropdown box. And in the Options section, check "Show amortization schedule". Given these settings, the calculator will prompt you for the data it needs. Provide the data, as shown below.