Question

Julie Brown is a single woman in her late 20s. She is renting an apartment in the fashionable part of town for $1,000 a month. After much thought, she's seriously considering buying a condominium for $175,000. She intends to put 20 percent down and expects that closing costs will amount to another $5,000; a commercial bank has agreed to lend her money at the fixed rate of 6 percent on a 15-year mortgage. Julie would have to pay an annual condominium owner's insurance premium of $560 and property taxes of $1,000 a year (she's now paying renter's insurance of $550 per year). In addition, she estimates that annual maintenance expenses will be about 0.5 percent of the price of the condo (which includes a $30 monthly fee to the property owners' association). Julie's income puts her in the 25 percent tax bracket (she itemizes her deductions on her tax returns), and she earns an after-tax rate of return on her investments of around 4 percent.
Required:
a. Evaluate and compare Julie’s alternatives of remaining in the apartment or purchasing the condo.
b. Working with a friend who is a realtor, Julie has learned that condos like the one that she’s thinking of buying are appreciating in value at the rate of 3.5 percent a year and are expected to continue doing so. Would such information affect the rent-or-buy decision made in a?
c. Discuss any other factors that should be considered when making a rent-or-buy decision.
d. Which alternative would you recommend for Julie in light of your analysis?

Answer 1

Answer:

a. Julie should continue live in her own apartment.

b. She should then purchase the condo

c. Home maintenance cost and tax benefit.

d. She should live in her own apartment and rent the condo after purchase.

Explanation:

Buying cost of condo $175,000

Loan interest amount  $8,400 [ $175,000 * 80% * 6%]

Insurance premium $10  [560 - 550]

Property taxes $1,000

Maintenance expense $875  [$175,000 * 0.5%]

Total additional cost per year $10,280

If Julie plans to buy the condo she will have to incur additional cost of $10,280 per annum.

b. If the price of condo increases by 3.5% per year then she should consider buying the condo.