How Much Money Can I Borrow To Buy A Home?
There’s really no easy and quick answer to “how much money can I borrow to buy a home?”
It will all depend on the overall financial health of the area in question, the financial health of the mortgage company in question and the risk that giving a loan to you will provide to that same company. However, the first two aspects mentioned will weigh less when you apply for a mortgage, after all; everybody wants some profit, right? So, if the overall market condition is good and the financial health of the company is great, they *might* get a portion of their earnings to re-invest to bring even more revenue but the bigger part of it will be converted into profit for its shareholders not necessarily on making your life easier by loaning you more. That’s capitalism, buddy.
Alright, are you lecturing me or answering how much money can I borrow to buy a home, RealEstateAgent.com?
Ok. Let’s cut to the chase. You will get as much money as the calculations of the mortgage company say you will be able to pay it back in a timely manner. And to figure out how much that means in your case, we will need to figure out what is your risk to the company.
To do that, you'll need to figure out what your gross income is (before taxes) monthly and yearly. To get a quick ballpark figure, take the yearly income of yourself - and your co-purchaser if applicable - and multiply by 2 to 2 1/2. Most people will fall into this category. There are other things to consider, however – like monthly debt payments and home-related expenses like homeowner’s insurance policy cost and homeowner’s association fees, your expected loan term and interest rates. If you have a large down payment combined with little to no bills, the lender may believe that you could afford a more expensive home than the ballpark figure allows.
An important thing to do in order to prepare yourself to lure the mortgage companies into a large loan amount is taking care of your credit score, developing good habits towards it. Once you understand what is a credit score and how does it impact real estate, you will be able to secure, most of the times, not only better deals, but with less hassle.
Popular Real Estate Questions
Popular Real Estate Glossary Terms
A rule that the price of a house should not exceed about 2 to 2.5 times your family's gross annual earnings. Example : If annual gross income is $70,000, the highest price one could afford ...
Property that is unoccupied and thus not being used. It is usually raw land with no structure or improvements theron. ...
Court order whereby the bankrupt debtor is forgiven of this or her debts. Even though the debtor is no longer obligated for discharged debts, the bankruptcy remains in his credit report ...
Creditor's control over property. When a loan is secured with pledged assets, the creditor has the right to go to court to obtain possession of the property if the borrower defaults. The ...
Agreement in which the promises of the parties are revealed in words, either orally or in writing. ...
List of dwelling units, such as homes. ...
Person receiving la legacy from a will. Normally a legatee will receive personal property possibly including real property. ...
The individual who receives an interest in a life estate after the original life tenant's interest expires. This normally occurs after the death of the life tenant. For example, Mrs. ...
Method of constructing a brick, block, or stone wall using mortar in various overlapping patterns. The brick pattern is extremely important in terms of adding strength and stability to the ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.