The pressure is high in today’s housing market. Inventory is low in many parts of the U.S. and that, combined with the threat of rising interest rates and booming housing demand, is making home buyers feel the need to buy. Automated investment advisory company Wealthfront announced today that it is here to help with the addition of home planning tools for Path, the company’s automated financial planning solution.
The Path home planning tool aims to help buyers understand what they can afford today and what it may take for them to be able to afford a larger home in the future. Also importantly, the tool shows users how this purchase may impact future goals, such as retiring early or paying for a child’s college tuition. Path extends beyond traditional affordability calculators to show a cost estimate that considers the user’s financial standing and other financial goals.
Leveraging third party data, Path projects future home prices and mortgage rates that are specific to the borrower’s financial situation. The tool also takes into account the varying home prices in different zip codes. Once the borrower defines the specific location and type of house they’re looking for, Path lets them know if they’re on track to afford it. When they find the home they’re looking for, Path advises the user which account the downpayment funds should come from.
This is a noteworthy addition to Path, which originated as a retirement and education planning tool. With this week’s launch of homeownership planning, the tool still has one last financial frontier left– helping users financially plan to start a family.
Wealthfront allows users to invest up to $10,000 for free and currently manages $10.5 billion in assets for investors across the U.S. The company debuted as KaChing in 2009 in the early years of Finovate. Last June, Wealthfront was named to CB Insights’ Fintech 250 list and earlier this month received $75 million in funding, bringing its total raised to $205 million.