"How much home can I afford?" is a
question most home buyers ask.
While there are varying thoughts on this
a common rule of thumb is that your monthly housing expenses
should not total to more than 33% of your gross (i.e. before
taxes) income. That includes your mortgage payment, property
taxes, and home owners insurance. So take a third of your
current income and use that as the maximum amount that
you'll be able to afford.
"How much will my monthy payment be
if I buy that house?" is the next frequently asked question
by a prospective home buyer.
For the answer to that we'll need to
use a calculator... or, more appropriately, the mortgage
calculator that we have provided below. Enter the price of
the house, the intended length of the mortgage, the current
interest rate (estimated here for you), and (optionally)
your property taxes and insurance costs. Once you've entered
that information click on the button and we'll estimate your
monthly payments for you.