House Prices

There can be life in dead money - Mary Holm

Q: I rent my home and keep savings in the bank (a potential house deposit, because isn't buying a house what we're all supposed to do?) and often hear the "rent is dead money" comment from friends and colleagues who have already bought a home and are paying off a mortgage.

But surely the hundreds of thousands of dollars people pay in interest over the term of their mortgage is

Monday, October 04th 2004

just as "deceased"?

I often wonder if there is a way of comparing the "rent-and-invest versus mortgage" decision 15 years into the future.

Say, Joe Bloggs has $170,000 from late Aunty Betty which he puts into long-term government bonds (or maybe some in cash, some in index funds), and pays $300 rent a week, whereas his sister Josephine uses her $170,000 as a deposit on a $340,000 house, with a 15-year mortgage.

Maths was never my strong point, but with vague recollections of net present value calculations, maybe you can help.

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SBS FirstHome Combo 3.99
Unity First Home Buyer special 3.99
TSB Special 4.39
ICBC 4.39
Co-operative Bank - First Home Special 4.39
Unity Special 4.49
BNZ - Std 4.49
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 4.49
SBS Bank Special 4.49
Kiwibank Special 4.49
ANZ Special 4.59
ICBC 4.59
TSB Special 4.69
Wairarapa Building Society 4.79
Nelson Building Society 4.87
BNZ - Std 4.89
SBS Bank Special 4.89
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 4.89
Unity Special 4.89
Kiwibank Special 4.89
First Credit Union Special 4.95
AIA - Go Home Loans 4.95
ICBC 5.19
TSB Special 5.29
Westpac Special 5.59
ASB Bank 5.69
BNZ - Std 5.69
SBS Bank Special 5.69
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 5.69
Kainga Ora 5.69
AIA - Go Home Loans 5.69
Kiwibank Special 5.79
China Construction Bank 5.99
SBS FirstHome Combo 3.29
AIA - Back My Build 3.34
SBS Construction lending for FHB 3.74
CFML 321 Loans 3.95
Co-operative Bank - Owner Occ 4.99
Co-operative Bank - Standard 4.99
Heartland Bank - Online 5.30
ICBC 5.39
Kiwibank - Offset 5.65
Kiwibank 5.75
Unity Standard 5.79

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