Find The Right Mortgage For You (2024)

FAQs

How do you calculate what your mortgage should be? ›

The 28% mortgage rule states that you should spend 28% or less of your monthly gross income on your mortgage payment (e.g., principal, interest, taxes and insurance). To determine how much you can afford using this rule, multiply your monthly gross income by 28%.

Meet the Fantastic Four - the 4 C's: Capacity, Credit, Collateral, and Capital.

Character, capital, capacity, and collateral – purpose isn't tied entirely to any one of the four Cs of credit worthiness. If your business is lacking in one of the Cs, it doesn't mean it has a weak purpose, and vice versa.

On a salary of $36,000 per year, you can afford a house priced around $100,000-$110,000 with a monthly payment of just over $1,000. This assumes you have no other debts you're paying off, but also that you haven't been able to save much for a down payment.

You need to know the amount of the loan and the mortgage payment factor. The formula for those loans is: Loan Payment = Amount/Discount Factor. Before you begin, you'll need to calculate the discount factor using the following formula: Number of periodic payments (n) = payments per year times number of years.

The Three C's

After the above documents (and possibly a few others) are gathered, an underwriter gets down to business. They evaluate credit and payment history, income and assets available for a down payment and categorize their findings as the Three C's: Capacity, Credit and Collateral.

Filling out a 1003 form is the first step you'll take to getting preapproved for a mortgage. Officially known as the uniform residential loan application — URLA for short — the 1003 application gives your lender the information required to determine whether you qualify for the loan you're applying for.

An underwriter will calculate your income by taking your current yearly salary and breaking it down to a per-month basis. You will need to provide your most recent pay stub and IRS W-2 forms covering your most recent two-year period of employment. If there are any gaps in your employment, you will need to explain them.

Mortgage lenders often look at gross monthly income to determine how much mortgage you can afford, but it's also important to consider your net income, as well.

What if I can't put 20 down on a house? ›

While a 20 percent down payment is the traditional standard for purchasing a home, it is not mandatory and there are loan options that have much lower minimum requirements. Private mortgage insurance will likely be required with a down payment of less than 20 percent, which will add to your monthly payment.

Lenders consider four criteria, also known as the 4 C's: Capacity, Capital, Credit, and Collateral.

According to the 28/36 rule, you should spend no more than 28% of your gross monthly income on housing and no more than 36% on all debts. Housing costs can include: Your monthly mortgage payment.

What Percentage Of Your Income Should Go To Your Mortgage? To determine how much income should be put toward a monthly mortgage payment, there are several rules and formulas you can use. The most popular is the 28% rule, which states that no more than 28% of your gross monthly income should be spent on housing costs.

Using a percentage of your income can help determine how much house you can afford. For example, the 28/36 rule may help you decide how much to spend on a home. The rule states that your mortgage should be no more than 28 percent of your total monthly gross income and no more than 36 percent of your total debt.

To afford a $400,000 home, assuming a 20% down payment and a 6.5% interest rate on a 30-year mortgage, you would need a gross monthly income of approximately $7,786.55. This assumes you have $1,000 in monthly debt.