Calculate the monthly mortgage payment for only the principal and interest. Purchase price = 150,000; down payment = 20%; interest rate = 4.5%; 20 year term

To calculate the monthly mortgage payment for only the principal and interest, you need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Calculate the loan amount
Since the down payment is expressed as a percentage, you can find it by multiplying the purchase price by the down payment percentage:
Down payment = Purchase price * Down payment percentage
Down payment = $150,000 * 20%
Down payment = $150,000 * 0.20
Down payment = $30,000

The loan amount is equal to the purchase price minus the down payment:
Loan amount = Purchase price - Down payment
Loan amount = $150,000 - $30,000
Loan amount = $120,000

Step 2: Calculate the monthly interest rate
Since the interest rate is an annual percentage, you need to convert it into a monthly rate by dividing it by 12:
Monthly interest rate = Annual interest rate / 12
Monthly interest rate = 4.5% / 12
Monthly interest rate = 4.5% / 100 / 12
Monthly interest rate = 0.045 / 12
Monthly interest rate = 0.00375

Step 3: Calculate the number of monthly payments
The term of the mortgage is given as 20 years, which means there will be 20 * 12 = 240 monthly payments.

Step 4: Use the formula to calculate the monthly mortgage payment
The formula to calculate the monthly mortgage payment for only the principal and interest is:

Monthly payment = (Loan amount * Monthly interest rate) / (1 - (1 + Monthly interest rate) ^ -number of payments)

Monthly payment = ($120,000 * 0.00375) / (1 - (1 + 0.00375) ^ -240)

Calculating this formula directly would be complex, so I'll simplify it further using the following two steps:

Step a: Calculate the factor for the denominator part of the formula:
Factor = (1 + Monthly interest rate) ^ -number of payments
Factor = (1 + 0.00375) ^ -240

Step b: Calculate the monthly mortgage payment using the factor:
Monthly payment = (Loan amount * Monthly interest rate) / (1 - Factor)
Monthly payment = ($120,000 * 0.00375) / (1 - Factor)

By plugging in the calculated values, you should be able to find the precise monthly mortgage payment for only the principal and interest.