How Much Do Higher Rates Affect Payments Panic TimeRecently, I facetiously wrote a blog about why rising rates would crash the housing market, pointing out that they actually won’t 😊.

So – because of yesterday’s blog and because rates shot up again this morning – I wanted to remind everyone of just how little rate increases of less than 1% affect someone’s payment.

1/2% Rate Increase = $150 Higher Payment For $500,000 Mortgage

The below table shows the effect of higher rates on monthly payments for a $100,000 mortgage.

A 1/2% increase in rates results in an increased payment of about $27 to $30 per month (higher rates result in higher payment increases).

NOTE: I am using a $100,000 balance because it makes the math easy for estimating the effect of higher rates on larger mortgages, e.g. A $200,000 mortgage will see 2 x $30 (worst case) per month increase if rates go up 1/2%; a $350,000 mortgage will see a 3.5 x $30 per month increase; a $600,000 mortgage will see a 6 x $30 per month increase, and so on.

For a $500,000 mortgage, a 1/2% increase in rates results in about a $150 per month increase (worst case) in payment.

A $1 million mortgage would see about a $300 per month increase.

So – is it time to panic?

Probably not. 😊

Annual Percentage Rate (APR)Monthly Payment (15 Year)Monthly Payment (30 Year)
3.00%$690.58$421.60
3.25%$702.67$435.21
3.50%$714.88$449.04
3.75%$727.22$463.12
4.00%$739.69$477.42
4.25%$752.28$491.94
4.50%$764.99$506.69
4.75%$777.83$521.65
5.00%$790.79$536.82

Jay Voorhees
Founder/Broker | JVM Lending
(855) 855-4491 | DRE# 1197176, NMLS# 310167

About the Author

Jay Voorhees
Jay Voorhees is the Founder of JVM Lending. He specializes in mortgage rate movements, housing market trends, Fed policy, and refinancing strategy. Jay has 25+ years in mortgage banking and has personally originated over $1 billion in residential loans.
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