Rent vs buy questions

Yes. It runs in your browser. Calculator inputs stay in your browser. The optional inquiry form is the only thing sent.

Buying has large one-time costs: the down payment and closing costs up front, and selling costs when you leave. Early on, most of each mortgage payment is interest. It takes time for appreciation and principal paydown to cover those costs.

No. They are example inputs so the tool shows a result when it loads. Replace the rate with a quote from a lender and the price, taxes, and rent with numbers for your area.

No. Renting can come out ahead when you will move within a few years, when homes cost a lot relative to rents in your area, or when owner costs such as tax, insurance, and HOA dues are high.

Rent buys housing, flexibility, and someone else carrying repair risk. Owning has unrecoverable costs too: interest, property tax, insurance, maintenance, and the costs of buying and selling. The fair comparison is unrecoverable cost against unrecoverable cost.

On most realistic inputs, renting is cheaper over two years because buying and selling costs have little time to be covered. Test your own numbers with the years-you-expect-to-stay field.

You may be able to, but a conventional loan with under 20 percent down usually means private mortgage insurance, and a smaller cushion if prices fall. Enter your real down payment and PMI quote to see the effect.

Property tax, homeowners insurance, maintenance and repairs, HOA dues where they apply, private mortgage insurance on a small down payment, utilities a landlord may have covered, and closing and selling costs.

There is no official figure. Many budgets use a percentage of home value per year; the calculator’s example uses 1 percent. Older homes, larger homes, and harsh climates usually need more.

Home price divided by a year of rent for a comparable home. A $400,000 home that would rent for $2,200 a month has a ratio of about 15. Higher ratios mean homes are expensive relative to rents, which tends to favor renting.

No. The break-even year depends on the rate, down payment, owner costs, rent growth, home value growth, and investment return. Rules of thumb such as five years are starting points, not answers.

No. Tax effects depend on whether you itemize, your bracket, and current law. Leaving them out keeps the tool honest; ask a tax professional how they apply to you.

No. Home value growth is an input you choose. Try a low, middle, and high value to see the range.

You can send an inquiry from the calculator page. It asks for your name, an email or phone number, and optional details such as rent-or-buy interest, city, timing, and a message. The site does not name an agent or a brokerage, and it does not promise that a specific person will call. Numbers you type into the calculator stay in your browser.