How Much House Can Your Future Afford?

January 19, 2021

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Casually looking for a home can be a lot like window shopping – you take in what’s around and see what grabs your attention without necessarily focusing on price tags.

But when you start getting serious about buying a place, it’s time to double down on the money details. How much are you willing to spend? But also, what’s realistic for your financial situation? As you probably know, the house price is just one part of the picture; there are other expenses to add in, too, like a down payment and closing costs. And given that a home is usually a big purchase for most people, you’ll also want to think how that’ll impact your other financial goals.

We know, it’s a lot to wrap your head around! Luckily, we’ve outlined some calculations that can help you crunch the numbers and land on an informed decision.

Reaching your goal starts with saving for it

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Evaluate your current income

To get a sense of what you can afford, you’ll want to do a little bit of math. (It’s not too complicated, we promise.)

First, tally up your gross monthly income. (Keeping an eye on what you net in a separate column could be helpful, since this is money that’s not committed to things like groceries and retirement contributions). This includes your pay from work, of course, and any investments and trusts, plus any profits from any properties sold before buying your home. If the plan is to buy your home as a couple – meaning you’ll both share ownership and be listed on the mortgage and on the deed – include your partner’s income, too.

Your targeted monthly housing payment is more than your mortgage.

Why is this number important? Well, it’s pretty straightforward. Lenders typically prefer that your total future housing payment – that is, your loan principal, loan interest, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance and (if applicable) private mortgage insurance – isn’t more than 28% of your gross income (before taxes).

Let’s look at an example. If your annual salary is $120,000, then your gross monthly income is $10,000 per month. Take 28% of this, and your baseline monthly housing payment should ideally stay under $2,800 per month.

Your targeted monthly housing payment is more than your mortgage. It includes your mortgage payment, property taxes and insurance.

Find your total debt-to-income ratio

Once you’ve calculated a target monthly housing payment, the next step is to look at your monthly expenses. This calculation will reveal another number lenders consider: your total debt-to-income ratio (DTI). It’s how much monthly debt you currently have compared to your income.

The general guideline is to shoot for a ratio that’s no more than 43% of your monthly gross income.

Say your total recurring debt is $3,000 monthly. (This can include expenses like student and personal loans, rent, credit card bills or car payments.)

Then, you’d divide that number by your gross monthly income to get your DTI. In our example, that’d work out to be: $3,000/$10,000 = 30%. This number falls under the general 43% guideline (yay!) and it shows lenders that you’re likely able to pay both your existing debts and also tack on a future housing payment.

Prepare your down payment

If you're aiming for a down payment of 20%, look at your savings or chat with your advisor about where you could draw the money from. See if the amount you want to put down is in line with homes in the price range you're considering.

For example, if your target price range is $400,000 and you plan on a 20% down payment, then you'll want to make sure you’ll have $80,000 in hand by the time you’re ready to close on your home.

If some of the savings you'll need are wrapped up in longer-term savings vehicles, such as certificates of deposit (CDs), then plan your home buying timeline accordingly to avoid early withdrawal penalties.

But – see closing costs below – this is just a slice of the money you’ll want to have available, since there are other expenses you’ll need to cover.

Add in closing costs

Closing costs aren’t folded into the buying price, but they’ll be tacked on to your buying experience because they’re payments for services that make the sale possible.

You can expect closing costs to be 2% to 5% of the home’s purchase price.

Closing costs are fees that are charged by lenders, title agents, closing attorneys and other parties needed to complete a home sale and process a new mortgage loan. We go into more detail about these fees here, but you can expect closing costs to be 2% to 5% of the home’s purchase price. For a $400,000, home this means they could be anywhere from $8,000 to $20,000.

Factor in new or increased homeownership expenses

So you’ve considered the down payment, mortgage and closing costs – does that wrap up housing expenses? Almost! There are a few more costs to keep in mind:

A larger or more expensive home could mean higher utility bills and maintenance. (Flipside: If you’re downsizing, you may be paying less, in which case … where are you thinking of putting that extra cash?)

There are also the costs that come with moving in and moving out, such as:

Moving and relocation expenses
New furniture and appliances
Necessary home repairs or renovations
New homeowners’ association dues

As you’re scoping out potential homes, it’s a good idea to keep all these costs in mind now, so you’re not surprised later.

Cover your other financial priorities

Having run through all these numbers, you’re now ready for the add-on financial question we hinted at in the opening – will this purchase, with all of these considerations, affect other priorities? These could include paying off student loans, funding educational 529 accounts, traveling or retirement. If so, it could be worth revisiting your target price and re-running the numbers.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized professional advice. Individuals should consult their own tax advisor for matters specific to their own taxes and nothing communicated to you herein should be considered tax advice. This article was prepared by and approved by Marcus by Goldman Sachs, but does not reflect the institutional opinions of Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. or any of their affiliates, subsidiaries or division. Goldman Sachs Bank USA does not provide any financial, economic, legal, accounting, tax or other recommendation in this article. Information and opinions expressed in this article are as of the date of this material only and subject to change without notice. Information contained in this article does not constitute the provision of investment advice by Goldman Sachs Bank USA or any its affiliates. Neither Goldman Sachs Bank USA nor any of its affiliates makes any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this document and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.