Calculator

Rent vs. buy

Not "is buying good" but "is buying better for you, over the years you'd actually stay." The honest answer depends mostly on how long that is.

Renting

Current monthly rent

Annual rent increase (%)

Return if your down payment stayed invested (%/yr)

Buying

Home price

Down payment (%)

Rate (%), 30-year

Home appreciation (%/yr)

Property tax (% of value/yr)

Insurance ($/yr)

HOA ($/month)

Maintenance (% of value/yr)

Buying costs (% of price)

Selling costs (% of value)

Years you'd stay: 7

Over the years you'd stay

–

break-even year, when owning becomes cheaper than renting

Net cost of renting–
Net cost of owning (after selling)–
–

If you buy

Monthly payment incl. taxes and insurance–
Home value at the end–
Equity at the end–

A model, not a prediction. "Net cost of owning" counts interest, PMI (0.6% a year under 20% down until the balance reaches 80% of the price), taxes, insurance, maintenance, HOA, buying and selling costs, and subtracts the equity you'd walk away with. "Net cost of renting" counts rent and subtracts what your down payment and buying costs would have earned invested. Differences in monthly cash flow between the two paths are not reinvested, and tax effects are ignored, so treat the result as directional. Not a commitment to lend.

Talk it through

Year by year

Year	Net cost, renting	Net cost, owning	Cheaper

The Safe Buying Box

Before anyone pre-approves you for anything, define three boundaries: the monthly payment you're comfortable with, the realistic cash-to-close window you can fund, and the gap between what you pay in rent and what owning would cost. Boundaries first, approval second. Here's why getting pre-approved first is backwards.

You don't need all the answers to ask the first question.

Tell me what you're considering. A 15 to 30 minute conversation, then within one business day your options in writing, or the plain reason it doesn't fit yet and what would change that. No application, no credit pull.

The consultation and the options review are free. If you choose to proceed, third-party costs such as HUD counseling and an appraisal may be due before closing. Licensed in 20 states; see the full list below.

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Prefer the phone? 623-698-5294, Arizona time.