Why does Dave Ramsey recommend a 15-year mortgage?
A 15-year term: Your monthly payment will be higher with a 15-year term, but you'll pay off your mortgage in half the time of a 30-year term . . . saving tens of thousands in interest.
Dave believes the shortest path to wealth is to avoid debt. And he says the best way to do that is to either buy a house with cash or go with a 15-year mortgage, which has the overall lowest total cost—and keeps borrowers on track to pay off their house fast.
If you can afford the larger monthly payment that comes with a 15-year fixed mortgage, it can help you pay off your home, freeing up funds for retirement. You will spend less in interest over the life of the loan compared to a 30-year mortgage, and usually, a 15-year fixed mortgage means a better interest rate.
You can probably qualify for a much larger loan than what 25% of your take-home pay will give you. But it's not wise to spend more on a house because then you will be what Dave calls "house poor." Too much of your income will be going out in payments, and that will put strain on the rest of your budget.
Pros of a 15-year mortgage include paying less in interest over the life of the loan as a result of a lower rate and shorter term, and paying off your mortgage sooner. On the downside, the monthly payments on a 15-year mortgage will be higher due to the shorter repayment schedule.
15-year mortgage is more attractive to homeowners because it gives the homeowners a shorter period (maturity) to pay back the principle and the with lower interest.
Lenders charge a lower interest rate for 15-year loans because it's easier to make predictions about repayment over a 15-year horizon than it is over a 30-year horizon. Another reason for the savings? Home buyers are borrowing the money for half the time, which dramatically reduces the cost of borrowing.
It will cost about 10–20% more to pay off a 30 year mortgage in 15 years than to take a 15 year mortgage and pay it off in that time. Generally, that's how much higher mortgage interest rates are on 30-year versus 15-year mortgages, about 10–20% higher.
- Pay extra each month.
- Bi-weekly payments instead of monthly payments.
- Making one additional monthly payment each year.
- Refinance with a shorter-term mortgage.
- Recast your mortgage.
- Loan modification.
- Pay off other debts.
- Downsize.
Choosing a 25-year term will be cheaper in the long run, but make sure you can afford the higher monthly payments. If a shorter term makes repayments too expensive, consider the longer 30-year term.
How much house can I afford if I make $36,000 a year?
On a salary of $36,000 per year, you can afford a house priced around $100,000-$110,000 with a monthly payment of just over $1,000. This assumes you have no other debts you're paying off, but also that you haven't been able to save much for a down payment.
Completing a mortgage payoff early could save you a bundle of money, not to mention years of not having a big payment hanging over your head each month, according to Dave Ramsey, financial guru, author and host of “The Dave Ramsey Show.”
Assuming a 20 percent down payment on a 30-year fixed-rate loan at an interest rate of 7 percent, you can afford the payments on a $240,000 home, according to Bankrate's mortgage calculator.
Refinance With a Shorter-Term Mortgage
Refinancing to a 15-year mortgage will likely mean a higher monthly mortgage payment, but you'll save on interest in the long run. Also, 15-year mortgages tend to offer lower interest rates than 30-year mortgages.
A 15-year mortgage means larger monthly payments, but a lower rate and substantial savings on interest. A 30-year mortgage gives you a more affordable monthly payment, but expect higher borrowing costs overall. You can also take out an interest-only mortgage or pay your loan off early to maximize interest savings.
Making an extra mortgage payment each year could reduce the term of your loan significantly. The most budget-friendly way to do this is to pay 1/12 extra each month. For example, by paying $975 each month on a $900 mortgage payment, you'll have paid the equivalent of an extra payment by the end of the year.
Why Dave Ramsey isn't a fan of a 30-year mortgage. The problem with taking out a 30-year mortgage is getting stuck with not only a higher interest rate on your home loan, but also paying more interest on that loan than you would with a shorter-term loan. In fact, Ramsey isn't a fan of paying mortgage interest.
Opting for a 30-year term instead of a 15-year term could help you keep more money in your pocket each month, allowing you to invest more or use those funds for other purposes. But your interest costs with a 30-year loan will be higher compared to the 15-year term, and it will take longer to build home equity.
Although higher mortgage rates initially dampened housing demand and drove home prices modestly lower, prices have recovered.
Cons of 15-year Mortgages
The higher monthly payment may be too much for many people's budget. For example, not including taxes and insurance, in January of 2020, you would pay approximately $1,411 per month for a 15-year, $200,000 loan. A 30-year, $200,000 loan (without insurance and taxes), would be $898 per month.
Do you pay PMI on a 15 year loan?
For example, if you have a 30-year mortgage, the midpoint would be after 15 years. If you have a 15-year loan, the halfway point is 7.5 years. The PMI payments must stop even if your mortgage balance hasn't yet reached 78 percent of the home's original value.
The downside to choosing a personal loan with a longer repayment term is paying more in interest charges over the life of the loan. Since lenders charge interest payments monthly, a longer loan term inherently means more interest payments.
Throwing in an extra $500 or $1,000 every month won't necessarily help you pay off your mortgage more quickly. Unless you specify that the additional money you're paying is meant to be applied to your principal balance, the lender may use it to pay down interest for the next scheduled payment.
Just making two extra mortgage payments a year can save you tens of thousands of dollars and cut years off your loan.
Making an extra payment on your mortgage can help you pay off your mortgage early. It also helps reduce the principal balance quicker which means there is less principal to gain interest. In the long run, your extra payments could help you save money as well as reducing the length of your loan term.
