DECISION MAKING

hypothetical situation:

You have found a new job in Denver, Colorado and would like to purchase a home in that area. Ideally, you would like to find a single-family house with at least three bedrooms and one bathroom that costs between $150,000 and $225,000 and finance it with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. You can afford a down payment that is 20 percent of the value of the house. Before you purchase a house, you would like to find out what homes are available in your price range, find a mortgage, and determine the amount of your monthly payment. You would also like to see how much of your mortgage payment represents principal and how much represents interest. Use the Yahoo! real estate site (http://homes.yahoo.com/) to help you with the following tasks:

1. Locate homes in your price range in Denver, Colorado. Find out as much information as you can about the houses, including the real estate listing agent, condition of the house, number of rooms, and the school district.
2. Find a mortgage for 80 percent of the list price of the home.
3. After selecting a mortgage, calculate your closing costs.
4. Calculate the monthly payment for the mortgage you select.
5. Calculate how much of your monthly mortgage payment represents principal and how much represents interest, assuming you do not plan to make any extra payments on the mortgage.

Next, complete these same steps using a different online source, such a Zillow.

When you are finished, evaluate the whole process for each website. Each evaluation should cover the following items:

• Ease of use of the site and your ability to find information about houses and mortgages
• Accuracy of the information you found
• Breadth of choice of homes and mortgages
• How helpful the whole process would be if you were actually in the situation described in this project

Now compare the Yahoo site with the other site you chose. For each of the areas you discussed in your evaluation, which website has the advantage and why? Be specific and provide examples. Finally, what improvements or enhancements would you recommend for each site?

Compose a four-page (minimum) essay, not including a cover page, a reference page, or any charts or visual items. Include a chart to illustrate and compare the data you found from the two separate sites. Use APA formatting and cite at least two outside sources.