Thanks for all of your responses. I've been doing quite a bit of research, seeing what I qualify for- I currently have a pretty descent salary working for a publishing company part time (17 hours week making about 40K/year) while completing my undergrad education. I have excellent credit so I currently qualify for a good sized loan as well as awesome interest rates as long as I do it all before I start school in July because they base it off of the previous 24 months and not future potential salary necessarily.
I was offered a special program for Virginia first time home buyers by a local loan officer in Richmond (I have several connections out there even though I currently reside in Utah). It's called VHDA which entitles me to a 30 year fixed mortgage at 5.375% and little to no money down. That's a pretty sweet deal considering the rest of the country is looking at around 6% or so.
The other thing is that the area I'm looking at, Chesterfield county which is about a 20 minute drive away from campus is one of the fasted growing areas in the nation with an average appreciation of 15% per year. Now, I recognize that does not guarantee that it will continue to appreciate at that rate for the next 4 years, but there's a very slim chance that homes will decrease in value over the next four years. Therefore, it seems to me that buying in this area could be quite a nice investment. I spoke to a current VCU dental student who is graduating next year and he did the real estate route and made money off of his first house at the end of his second year, rolled that profit into his second home he has now and will be selling at a significant enough profit to "almost pay for all 4 years of school."
I don't expect to have the same outcome as he did, and I'm not sure what other risks he took, but even if I could break even after 4 years I still see it as a major benefit because I'd be building even better credit so when I graduate I can qualify for better interest rates etc. I just hate seeing $750/month in rent go to waste when I can get into a home for around $110,000 ($10,000 down payment) and pay 5.375% interest with payments $750/month including property taxes, mortgage insurance, etc.
The big question I have now is should I do an interest only loan instead so I can get into a better neighborhood and a nicer house? I know I will be moving after the 4 years and an interest only ARM could get me into a better place. I've tried doing some research of my own to see exactly what risks are involved, but does anybody know what would be the smartest thing to do in an appreciating area knowing I'll be moving after 4 years? If I do a 60 month interest only ARM and sell after 4 years, do I pay a penalty? What if I get into a house for $150,000 and sell if for $180,000 after the four years and I only have $10,000 in equity, does anyone know how the end numbers work out?
(Sorry this is so long, I've been thinking about this almost 24/7) Here's what it boils down to:
1) Do I do a 30 year fixed mortgage at 5.375% and get into a $110,000 home with $10,000 down? OR
2) Do I do a 60 month interest only ARM (I know a lender that can lock me into a 3% rate) and get into a $150,000 home with $10,000 down?
