(208) 661-2324 · nickleonard@windermere.com
What does waiting cost?
Thinking about waiting for rates to drop? Run the numbers yourself. Compare loan programs, test what happens if rates or prices move, and see what buying now versus waiting actually costs — using real Kootenai County figures.
The home & ownership costs
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Shared by every tab. Defaults are current Kootenai County figures; change anything to match the property.
Same house, four ways to finance it
Rates are editable. Plug in your lender’s quotes; FHA, VA and USDA often price below conventional.
The cash trade-off: less down vs. lower payment
A smaller down payment keeps cash in your pocket but costs more every month — and builds equity more slowly. This nets all three against each other.
Seller or lender credit: take the cash, or buy the rate down?
Sellers are offering credits instead of price cuts. The same dollars can go toward closing costs or toward permanently buying down the rate — and the two are not worth the same. This compares them against simply knocking that amount off the price.
Monthly payment, broken down
Side by side
What if rates or prices move?
Scenario A is “buy today.” B–D are futures to test: price change is versus today’s price. Tap a preset or type your own.
Monthly payment by scenario
The trade-off in one line
Buy now, or wait?
Assumes the same home keeps appreciating while you wait, and you rent in the meantime.
Where the number comes from
During the waiting period only. Owning has real costs too, so they are subtracted.
Buy now, refinance later “marry the house, date the rate”
What housing actually costs you
Owning isn’t free, and neither is renting. The difference is that part of what an owner pays comes back as equity. This compares the true cost of each path over the same stretch of time.
The same thing, month by month
Every line starts at $0 today and tracks cash spent minus equity built. All three go negative, because housing always costs something. The higher line is the cheaper path. Selling costs are not in this chart.
Checkpoints
Tax deductions and investment returns on cash left in the bank are not included. Equity is shown before selling costs.
The printout is the brief above only — the button, the calculator controls and this note are left off, and it always prints on white even in dark mode. Choose Save as PDF as the destination to email it instead.
Want these numbers run on a real property?
This calculator uses averages. A specific house has its own taxes, HOA, condition and comps — and your rate depends on your credit, income and program. Send me an address and I’ll run it properly, with current comps and a lender who can quote you a real rate.
Nick Leonard · Windermere Coeur d’Alene Realty · Idaho License #SP44517
