Cost of waiting to buy a home calculator
Thinking about waiting a few months or a couple of years to buy? Enter a home price, how long you'd wait, and your rent to see what waiting could cost, based on your own assumptions.
What does it cost to wait to buy a home in Arizona?
Quick answer: It depends on your numbers. Waiting costs the rent you pay in the meantime, plus any price increase and the equity you don't build. For context, Arizona home prices rose an average of 2.85% a year over the 20 years through 2026 Q2 (FHFA House Price Index), but prices can also fall.
Source: U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, FHFA House Price Index, All-Transactions, data through 2026 Q2 (released August 25, 2026). Last updated .
If you wait 12 months
Opens a third-party home search site. Payments shown there are estimates to help you search, not a loan offer or rate quote. Your actual payment depends on price, down payment, credit, taxes, insurance, HOA, and loan program.
Estimates for illustration only. Results are based entirely on the numbers you enter. They aren't a loan offer, rate quote, pre-qualification, or approval, and they aren't a prediction or promise of future home values. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results; home values can go down as well as up.
How the math works
- Projected price = home price × (1 + yearly change)months ÷ 12.
- Rent paid while waiting = monthly rent × months (rent is held flat; if your rent goes up, the real number is higher).
- Equity not built = the price change you'd have gained as an owner, plus, if you enter a rate, the loan principal you'd have paid down during the wait.
- Monthly payment change compares principal and interest on the price now vs. the projected price later (minus any cash you put down), using the rate(s) you typed and the term you chose. It leaves out taxes, insurance, HOA dues, and mortgage insurance.
Rent isn't all "lost," and owning has costs rent doesn't, like maintenance, property taxes, and insurance. For a fuller comparison, try rent vs. own in Arizona. To see how Arizona prices have actually moved, use the home appreciation calculator.
When waiting can make sense
Waiting can be the right call if you're still saving for upfront costs, expect to move again soon, or want to pay down other debts first. Prices can also fall. This calculator is meant to help you think it through, not to rush a decision.
Opens a third-party home search site. Payments shown there are estimates to help you search, not a loan offer or rate quote. Your actual payment depends on price, down payment, credit, taxes, insurance, HOA, and loan program.
All calculators · First-time buyers in Arizona · Renting vs. buying by city · Homes by monthly budget
Sources
- U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, FHFA House Price Index datasets (All-Transactions Index, data through 2026 Q2, released August 25, 2026; downloaded September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of waiting to buy a home?
It's the combination of any price increase while you wait, the rent you pay in the meantime, and the equity you don't build as an owner. It can also include a change in your monthly payment if rates move. Prices can also drop, so waiting can sometimes cost less or even save money.
Does this calculator use today's mortgage rates?
No. It never fills in a rate. If you want a payment estimate, type in a rate yourself, for example from a Loan Estimate. The result is an illustration, not a quote.
Where does the default price change come from?
It's prefilled with Arizona's 20-year average annual change in the FHFA House Price Index (2.85% a year, data through 2026 Q2). Past performance doesn't guarantee future results, so change it to whatever you think is realistic, including a negative number.
Is rent money wasted?
Not necessarily. Rent pays for housing and flexibility, and owners have costs renters don't, like maintenance and property taxes. The calculator shows rent paid so you can weigh it, not to suggest it's wasted.