How Much House Can You Actually Afford?

Before beginning the home search, it is important to determine how much you can actually afford to spend on a home in Austin, TX. Just because your lender approves you for a loan, doesn’t mean it is a good fit. While there are online calculator tools to determine how much you can afford – they aren’t always an accurate representation of your personal financial situation. If you can’t trust these online calculator tools, how do you determine how much house you can actually afford? Let’s walk through the details together:How Much House Can You Actually Afford?

Financial Rules May Not Apply to Your Personal Situation

Have you ever heard the sage advice, "your mortgage payment shouldn't take up more than 35 percent of your monthly income?" What is your monthly income? If you aren't sure what your monthly income is, how can you determine what 35 percent of that number is? While monthly income seems like a straightforward number, it isn't! The truth is, your monthly income depends entirely on your financial situation. Are you paying off debt? What monthly payment obligations do you have? How much have you saved for a down payment? Your real monthly income is the amount you have available after you take into account loan payments, housing costs, and other monthly debt obligations. In other words, it is the amount you have left after you pay your daily living expenses.

An online mortgage calculator can give you a rough estimate of how much home you can afford if you have high credit scores and a clean financial background. However, these tools are only as accurate as the information you provide. To ensure an accurate estimate, make sure you are honest about daily living expenses (food, gas, etc.), debt, and income.

Your Lender May Overestimate What You Can Actually Afford

To approve a new mortgage, a lender must determine how much you can "reasonably afford" to repay. Now, keep in mind that “reasonably” is an entirely different word than actually. To determine a reasonable mortgage, your lender takes into account your income and any current debts you pay each month. Here’s an example: If you make $4,000 a month after taxes and need to pay $200 to your student loan each month, your lender may conclude that you can reasonably afford a mortgage of $1,500. However, these are the only two things they take into account. In this situation, you would have $2,300 to spend on daily living expenses. Which, depending on where you live, may be reasonable. But what are your financial goals? Do you want to start saving? If you spend too much of your monthly income on a mortgage, you may be strapped for cash and find yourself counting pennies every month. Just because your lender says you can reasonably afford that mortgage, doesn't mean you should automatically assume you can.

Only YOU know what you can ACTUALLY afford – AND, what feels RIGHT to YOU

You are the only one that can determine what is comfortable when it comes to your monthly budget. Before committing to a monthly mortgage number, determine what number fits in YOUR personal budget. If you don't have a budget, make one! From there, determine what number is a comfortable fit for you and your lifestyle. Decide what you can live with and what you can live without. And, don't forget your long-term financial plans!

Here are a couple of questions to help you determine what you can afford:

  • What is my income? What are my daily living expenses (food, electric, gas, etc.)? What are my fixed costs (rent, loan payments, etc.)?
  • What are my long-term financial goals? How much do I want to save or invest each month?
  • How much will it cost to maintain a home?
  • How much do I have saved for a down payment?

Keep in mind; the higher your down payment, the smaller your monthly mortgage. It may be smart to hold off on purchasing a home until you have more money saved up for a down payment.

Always consider YOUR financial situation before rushing into purchasing a home. Your financial goals and lifestyle determine what you can ACTUALLY afford!

Do you have any questions? We want to help you get more from your move; give us a call anytime.

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