Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty

Buying

Buy now or buy later

Today's payment and cash to close, what the home could be worth in a few years, and buying now and refinancing side by side with waiting.

Today's 30-year average: 7.40% (Freddie Mac survey via FRED, week of Oct 8, 2026). Edit to your lender's quote.

Wait how long?

2 years

Starts at the local figure below. Edit it — negative means falling.

Loading Harris County home sales…

A what-if, not a forecast. Starts half a point under today's; nobody knows.

Paid in year N on the buy-now path, only if the rate is lower.

Property tax: 2.25% typical in Harris County. Typical total rate for the 17,520 homes for sale in Harris County (median of their certified 2025 tax bills; most are between 2.13% and 2.51%). Add your ZIP for a closer figure.

Typical in Harris County: $80/mo (74% of homes for sale there list an HOA). Set 0 if yours has none.

Today's numbers

$3,841 /mo, taxes, insurance, PMI & HOA included

Purchase price
$400,000
Loan amount (5% down)
$380,000
Interest rate
7.40%
Principal & interest
$2,631/mo
Property tax (2.25%) & insurance (est.)
$933/mo
PMI (est.)
$196/mo
HOA dues
$80/mo
Cash to close (est.)
$33,572

Cash to close = your down payment, about 2% of the loan in lender and title fees (an assumption), and prepaid insurance, escrow and interest.

Home appreciation — projected value

$400,000 in 2 years

Value today
$400,000
At 0% a year
+$0

Buy now + refi in 2 years

Price paid
$400,000
Loan in year 2 (balance)
$372,582
Rate from year 2
6.90%
Total payment from year 2
$3,714/mo
Equity in year 2
$27,418
Refinance costs
$5,000

Refinanced on the 28 years left, so the payoff date doesn't move.

Buy in 2 years

Price paid
$400,000
Loan amount (5% down)
$380,000
Rate
6.90%
Total payment
$3,712/mo
Equity on day one
$20,000
Cash to close (est.)
$33,494

A new 30-year loan starts the day you buy.

The cost of waiting 2 years

Waiting means a payment about $1/mo lower and about $7,418 less equity in year 2 than buying now and refinancing. Buying later takes about $78 less cash to close.

Rent paid while you wait isn’t in this comparison — it would add to the cost of waiting.

Live listings across our six counties.

We’re not a lender, and nobody can forecast rates or prices — the future rate and the appreciation here are what-ifs you control. A refinance needs a new approval and depends on your credit, income and equity at the time. Payments are principal & interest on a 30-year fixed plus the typical 2.25% property tax for Harris County, budgetary insurance, estimated PMI while the loan is over 80% of the value (Freddie Mac: about $30–$70 a month per $100,000 borrowed) and your HOA. A lender will run your exact numbers — we’ll introduce you below.

Talk to a lender

These are the lenders Allen works with. For any lender you’d like to talk to, tap Make introduction — we’ll make the introduction for you.

Allen Markel is a licensed Texas REALTOR®, not a mortgage lender or loan originator. He does not quote rates or terms and does not decide whether you qualify — only a lender can do that. Introductions are a courtesy; you choose who to work with.

Numbers raising questions? Walk through them with a person.

Schedule time with Allen

Questions about Buy Now Or Later

What it does

  • What does the buy now or buy later calculator compare?

    It compares three views: today's payment and cash to close, what the home could be worth after a wait, and two paths side by side. One path is buying now and refinancing later, and the other is waiting and buying later. It then states the cost of waiting in payment, equity and cash to close.

The inputs

  • How do I choose how long to wait?

    Use the wait setting to match the time frame you are really considering, such as saving more or waiting for a rate change. The calculator then projects the home value and rate at that point. Try a few different waits, since the answer can change with the length of the wait. Talk to us about your timeline.

  • Where does the home value change figure come from?

    It starts from a local figure built from the last 12 and 24 months of resale home sales in the county you choose, with new construction excluded. The page describes it as context, not a forecast. You can edit it, including to a negative number, so you can test a flat or falling market.

  • What is the rate in the future field?

    It is a what-if for the rate you might get when you buy or refinance later. The page says it starts half a point under today's rate and that nobody knows where rates will go. Change it up and down to see how sensitive the comparison is, and do not treat any one setting as a prediction.

  • What are refinance closing costs in this calculator?

    They are the cost you would pay in the future year if you buy now and refinance at a lower rate. The calculator only applies them when the rate is lower, because a refinance would not make sense otherwise. Use a number from a lender if you have one, since this is an estimate.

Reading the result

  • What does the cost of waiting mean?

    It summarizes how a later purchase compares with buying now and refinancing, in terms of a higher or lower monthly payment, equity at that point, and extra cash to close. It is a comparison under your assumptions, not a promise about what will happen. Change the assumptions to see when waiting would look better.

  • Does the calculator include the rent I would pay while waiting?

    No. The page says rent paid while you wait is not in the comparison, and that it would add to the cost of waiting. If you rent, add that cost in your own thinking, or look at the Rent vs. own calculator, which looks at renting against buying directly.

  • What is included in the monthly payment shown?

    The payment includes principal and interest on a 30-year fixed loan, property tax for the county you pick, a budgetary insurance estimate, estimated mortgage insurance while the loan is over 80% of the value, and HOA dues. The page shows each line so you can see what drives the total.

Limits

  • Can I count on the refinance in the buy now path?

    No. The page says a refinance needs a new approval and depends on your credit, earnings and equity at the time. The calculator shows what would happen if the rate drops, not what will happen. Treat the refinance as a possibility, and ask a lender how it would apply to you.

  • Should I rely on the projected home values and rates as a forecast?

    No. The page says nobody can forecast rates or prices, and that the future rate and home value change are what-ifs you control. It is a way to compare scenarios, not predict the market. Use it to understand how much each assumption matters, then talk to us about your own timeline.

Next steps

  • How do I decide whether to buy now or wait?

    Run a few scenarios, then weigh the numbers against your own timeline, savings and comfort with risk. Waiting has a cost and so does buying before you are ready. Because there is no single right answer, talk to us and a lender to pressure-test the figures for your circumstances before putting it off further.

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