4 Reasons to Take a Smaller Mortgage Than Your Bank Says You Can

Don't assume you should borrow money just because you can.

When you want to buy a home, you'll probably apply for a mortgage from a lender such as a bank or credit union. Your lender will review financial details including your income, credit score, current debts, assets you own, and the amount of your down payment. After taking many financial details into account, the lender will decide the maximum amount you can borrow. 

It can be tempting to take out the largest mortgage loan your bank allows. After all, borrowing up to the maximum means you can get a "better," more expensive home. But there are actually four really big reasons why it often makes sense to take out a smaller mortgage than your bank would permit when buying a home. Here's what they are. 

1. The bank doesn't know your personal goals

The bank wants to lend you as much as they think you can afford to pay back. But just because you can afford to devote a lot of money to a mortgage loan doesn't necessarily mean doing that is the best plan. If you have other goals such as retiring early or purchasing a vacation home, you may want to keep your mortgage smaller than the bank would allow so you can free up spare cash for these other objectives. 

2. Real estate may not be the best investment

Putting a lot of money into a mortgage means you'll have less to invest. While real estate often goes up in value, it's not always the best investment. You may be better off taking out a smaller mortgage to buy a cheaper home and opting to use the extra money saved for other assets that could provide a better return on investment and that could be more liquid. 

3. A more expensive home comes with larger ongoing costs

If you buy an expensive house just because the bank says you can, you'll face lots of extra costs compared with if you had opted for a smaller property. For example, your property taxes are usually based on what your home is worth. So if you buy a more expensive home, you will have higher property taxes for the whole time you are residing there. 

A more expensive home is often a larger one as well, which can mean more utility costs and higher maintenance expenses. These added ongoing costs can eat up even more of your money.  

4. A cheaper home can provide more flexibility 

Your bank is looking at a snapshot in time to determine how much you can afford. But if you take on large mortgage payments because you happen to be doing well financially when buying your house, you are giving up a lot of flexibility. If you later decide you want to switch careers to one that doesn't pay as much but that you'll like better, you could be unable to do that if you've committed to the largest possible mortgage the bank permitted you to take out.

Rather than just borrowing all you can, think about how large you want your mortgage payment to be and how much of your money you want to devote to your house. Then make your borrowing decisions in light of your own unique goals after taking the bigger picture into account.