Home Affordability

Home Affordability

How much home can you actually afford?

This works backward from your income and debts to a real price range — using the full payment, taxes, insurance, and PMI included. It shows your ceiling, not your target. What you can borrow and what you should borrow aren’t always the same number.

Why I built this

Most affordability calculators give you one number and call it your answer. But “how much can I afford” was never a single number — it’s a range, and where you land inside it is a personal call, not a formula. That’s why this one lets you choose the comfort level, from conservative to aggressive, and watch the price move with it. Some people want every dollar working; others want breathing room for life. I built it to show you the whole range honestly and let you decide where in it you actually want to live — then it folds in the real taxes, insurance, and PMI so the number holds up after you have the keys.

— Matt Mergo · NMLS #563819
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Before taxes, all borrowers combined
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Car, cards, student loans — not current rent
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Taxes & insurance (optional)
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Use the actual yearly tax from homes in your target range — a listing’s tax history or the county assessor’s site gives a real figure. It stays a flat dollar amount, so base it on homes near the price you expect.
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Applied automatically when down payment is under 20%
Estimated home price you can afford
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Max loan amount—
Your down payment—
Estimated monthly payment—
Principal & interest—
Property tax—
Home insurance—
PMI—
HOA—
Read this before you go shopping at the top of the range. This is the most a lender might allow on these numbers — it isn’t a recommendation to spend it. A payment that technically fits your ratios can still feel tight in real life once you add maintenance, savings, and the unexpected. To find the number you’d actually be comfortable with — not just the ceiling — start from a monthly payment that feels right in the payment-to-price calculator; the smart target usually sits between the two. Real approval also depends on credit, the property, and full documentation, which a calculator can’t see.
Get a real pre-approval number from Matt

This calculator is an educational estimate, not a pre-approval, loan offer, or commitment to lend. It estimates a maximum price from the debt-to-income ratio you select; actual qualifying ratios, allowable income, taxes, insurance, and PMI vary by loan program, lender, credit profile, and property. Property tax is estimated as a percentage of value and differs by location. Forest Hills Mortgage · Matt Mergo, NMLS #563819. Equal Housing Lender.