Missing the April 30, 2010 deadline for the $8,000 tax credit might have seemed like a big mistake to some home buyers, but due to low interest rates waiting could have been the smartest thing to do.
Interest rates have fallen so dramatically since April 30th that the typical purchaser of a $350,000 home, financed with a $280,000 mortgage, would have saved a bundle by waiting until May.
At April’s average rate of 5.34 percent, a home buyer would have locked in a 30-year fixed rate loan with a monthly payment of $1,561.82.
The same borrower could have snagged a 30-year fixed rate loan at a rate of 4.625 percent in May and paid $1,439.59 per month.
That’s a $1,467 annual savings. Over 30 years, it’s a $44,003 savings, dwarfing the $8,000 tax credit.
SOURCE: Informa Research Services
