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
Also called interim financing. A mortgage that provides the funds necessary for the building or construction of a real estate project. The project can be a residential subdivision, a ...
Represents a means of appraising a building by simply multiplying its square foot cost by the total amount of square feet in the structure being evaluated. Two or more buildings may then be ...
The total return from holding a real estate investment for the holding period of time. The computation follows: For a mutual fund investing in a real estate, the return is in the form ...
The practice of acquiring land for a future use. For example, a franchising company is projecting rapid nationwide expansion over the next five years. In order to prepare for the expansion, ...
Unincorporated combination (roll-up) of limited partnerships in a real estate together as a group. It is usually more comprehensive, financially sound, and marketable than individual ...
One who has died with a valid will in effect. ...
a rental in which the lessor pays all operating costs such as taxes, utilities, insurance, and maintenance. It is usually a short-term lease and a common arrangement. Typically there is no ...
The definition of a service fee or brokers fee in real estate is a flat fee paid to a real estate agent or broker in addition to the commission for the sale or purchase. This is to cover ...
People say time is money. The old-age cliche applies more than ever in our case as we define what the Time Value of Money (TVM) means. You’ll find the term time value for money ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.