Consider the following scenario:
John buys a house for $150,000 and takes out a five year adjustable rate mortgage with a beginning rate of 6%. He makes annual payments rather than monthly payments.
Unfortunately for John, interest rates go up by 1% for each of the five years of his loan (Year 1 is 6%, Year 2 is 7%, Year 3 is 8%, Year 4 is 9%, Year 5 is 10%).
Calculate the amount of John's payment over the life of his loan. Compare these findings if he would have taken out a fix rate loan for the same period at 7.5%. Which do you think is the better deal?