Plain-English explainers on the money questions Americans ask most.
Lenders quote principal and interest, but your bank account feels the whole payment: property tax, homeowners insurance, mortgage insurance if you put down less than 20%, and HOA dues. Those extras can add 30% or more to the monthly bill.
Buying comes with closing costs up front and roughly 6% in selling costs at the end. Stay only two or three years and those costs usually outweigh the equity you build. Stay seven or more and buying often pulls ahead.
Thirty-year mortgage rates tend to move with the 10-year Treasury yield, usually a couple of percentage points above it. When that yield climbs, mortgage quotes usually follow within days.
Many lenders use the 28/36 rule: housing costs under 28% of gross monthly income, and all debt payments under 36%.
It depends mostly on how long you stay. Buying has large up-front and selling costs, so it usually wins only if you stay several years.
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