A question that many buyers have been asking is whether they should buy a house now, or wait until prices drop.

Guest blogger, George Kennedy, of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, offers some thoughts in his post.

Should I wait for prices to drop?

The question should not be whether or not house prices will fall, but whether your purchasing power will fall. A slight increase in interest rates can cost you tens of thousands of dollars on the life of your loan.

Take a look at the following example. A $250,000 loan at today’s 30 year fixed interest rate of 4.75% will have a monthly payment of $1,304. If the interest rate should rise to 5.5%, the same $250,000 house will have a monthly payment of $1,419. That is an increase of $115 per month. Over the life of a 30 year loan that is nearly $42,000.

So, the real question to ask is this….Do I think it is more likely for that house to drop in price $42,000 or that interest rates will rise by .75%?

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Thank you, George! Contact me for more information on Baltimore house values, and what an increase in interest rate versus a lower price can mean for you.