What Can I Afford Mortgage Loan Calculator

How To Calculate Affordability

Zillow’s affordability calculator allows you to customize your payment details, while also providing helpful suggestions in each field to get you started. You can calculate affordability based on your annual income, monthly debts and down payment, or based on your estimated monthly payments and down payment amount.

Our calculator also includes advanced filters to help you get a more accurate estimate of your house affordability, including specific amounts of property taxes, homeowner’s insurance and HOA dues . Learn more about the line items in our calculator to determine your ideal housing budget.

How To Estimate Affordability

There is a rule of thumb about how much you can afford, based on the calculations your mortgage provider will make. The rule of thumb is you can afford a mortgage where your monthly housing costs are no more than 32% of your gross household income, and where your total debt load is no more than 40% of your gross houshold income. This rule is based on your debt service ratios.

Lenders look at two ratios when determining the mortgage amount you qualify for, which generally indicate how much you can afford. These ratios are called the Gross Debt Service ratio and Total Debt Service ratio. They take into account your income, monthly housing costs, and overall debt load.

The first affordability guideline, as set out by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation , is that your monthly housing costs â mortgage principal and interest, taxes, and heating expenses – should not exceed 32% of your gross household monthly income. For condominiums, P.I.T.H. also includes half of your monthly condominium fees. The sum of these housing costs as a percentage of your gross monthly income is your GDS ratio.

Gross Debt Service Ratio

What Is Property Tax

As a homeowner, youll pay property tax either twice a year or as part of your monthly home payment. This tax is a percentage of a homes assessed value and varies by area. For example, a $500,000 home in San Francisco, taxed at a rate of 1.159%, translates to a payment of $5,795 annually.Its important to consider taxes when deciding how much house you can afford. When you buy a home, you will typically have to pay some property tax back to the seller, as part of closing costs. Because property tax is calculated on the homes assessed value, the amount typically can change drastically once a home is sold, depending on how much the value of the home has increased or decreased.

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How To Get Your Finances Ready To Buy A House

Take stock of your finances to see if youre ready to apply for a mortgage. Make sure that you can provide evidence of at least two years worth of regular income, and figure out your total assets, debt and monthly expenses.

Check your credit reports. If you want to apply for new credit cards or other loans, keep in mind that these applications may add inquiries to your credit history and could lower your scores. Plan to apply for other types of credit well in advance of applying for a mortgage or wait until after youve closed on your home loan.Home affordability calculator

Ask lenders what information they need from you to issue a mortgage preapproval letter, and confirm that you have the documents on hand.

How Much Can I Borrow Detailed Considerations

Lenders presume borrowers spend about 3% to 5% of their outstanding debts on servicing costs. In our above calculation for individuals we subtract £3 for each £1 of debt for individuals and £2.4 for each £1 of debt for couples with multiple income providers.

In addition to your income level, lenders consider recent financial troubles, missed payments, and general living expenses when they determine suitability and lending limits.

Money Advice Service offers an affordability calculator which takes into account your outgoings. In general lenders do not like more than 60% of a person’s income going toward their mortgage and monthly outgoings. Nationwide also offers a similar calcualator, though it has quite a few steps in it and collects some personal data like your birthday.

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Be Conscious Of Changes In Employment

If you lose your job, how will you pay your mortgage? When you apply for a mortgage, your lender ideally will want to see a 2-year work history before they grant approval. If you choose to take the largest loan you qualify for, will you be able to make those higher monthly payments during a period of unemployment?

How Much Do You Have For A Down Payment

Your down payment affects the amount you can borrow to buy a home and the size of your payments. This will impact your monthly budget.

You must have at least 5% for a down payment if the home purchase price is less than $500,000.

If the home purchase price is between $500,000 and $999,999.99, you must have at least 5% for the first $500,000 and 10% for the remaining amount.

For home prices $1 million or over, the down payment must be 20%.

If you are a first-time home buyer, you can borrow up to $35,000 from your RSP towards your down payment.1

1. First time home buyers can withdraw up to $35,000, in a calendar year, from their RSPs for a home purchase . They then have 15 years to repay their RSP . Find out more about the RSP Home Buyers’ Plan.

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Why Calculate Mortgage Affordability

When you’re looking to buy a home, it’s handy to know how much you can afford. Being able to calculate an estimate of how much you’re able to borrow is an important part of setting your budget.

You also need to determine if you have enough cash resources to purchase a home. The cash required is derived from the down payment put towards the purchase price, as well as the closing costs that must be incurred to complete the purchase. We can help you estimate these closing costs with the first tab under the mortgage affordability calculator above.

Taken together, understanding how large a mortgage you can afford to borrow and the cash requirements involved will help you determine what kind of home you should be on the look out for. To learn more about mortgage affordability, and how our calculator works, have a read of the information below.

The Importance Of Credit Scores For Mortgage Applications

To assess your financial records, lenders usually use three major credit reference agencies . These are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. While there are other CRAs, these are most preferred by lenders across the UK. Out of the three, Equifax is the largest credit reference agency used by most lending institutions.

UK Experian credit scores range between 0 to 999, with good credit ratings from 881 to 960. If youre aiming for an excellent rating, your credit score must fall between 961 to 999. As for Equifax, the scoring system starts from 0 to 700, with a good credit rating from 420 to 465. To get an excellent Equifax rating, your credit score should be between 466 to 700. Meanwhile, credit scores for TransUnion range from 0 to 710, with a good credit rating from 604 to 627. If you want an excellent TransUnion rating, your credit score must fall between 628 to 710.

To distinguish different CRA ratings between major credit agencies, refer to the chart below:

Here are several steps to improve and maintain your credit score:

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Td Bank Mortgage Affordability

Before you get a mortgage from TD Bank, it is important to know how TD calculates your mortgage affordability. TD takes into account the following factors:

• The location of your future home
• Whether your future home is a detached home or condo
• Your household income
• Your down payment
• Your monthly bills and expenses including groceries, transportation, shopping, and insurance.
• Your monthly debt payments to loans and lines of credit including credit cards, car loans, student loans, and leases.

Your location and property type are used to provide estimates for your potential property taxes, utilities, and condo fees.

TD calculates your mortgage limit using the current qualification rate and a maximum gross debt service ratio of 39% and a maximum total debt service ratio of 44%. This means that your mortgage payment, property tax, heating costs, and half of your condo fees cannot take up more than 39% of your gross income. In addition, this amount plus your total debt payments cannot take up more than 44% of your gross income.

Another factor in determining your mortgage affordability is your down payment. According to TD, home buyers must have a minimum 5% down payment for homes worth less than $500K. For homes between $500K and $1M, home buyers must have at least 5% for the first $500K and 10% for the remaining amount. For homes worth more than $1M, home buyers must have a minimum 20% down payment.

How Bankruptcy Affects Your Credit Report

In certain cases, consumers are forced to file for bankruptcy if they cannot keep up with debt obligations. When this occurs, the bankruptcy record stays for 6 years in your credit file. If youre missing mortgage payments, it will certainly impact your credit score negatively. Your lender might file a County Court Judgment against you. This will obligate you to pay off your debt under a deadline as ruled by court.

Depending on your situation, it may also take longer until youre discharged of debts. This will make it harder to obtain new credit or open a new bank account. The magnitude of your bankruptcy will have a negative impact on your creditworthiness. During this time, you might find it difficult to secure renting accommodations, insurance, or even take direct debit . However, over time, as you pay off outstanding balances and significantly reduce your debts, you can recover your credit score. Just be patient because it will certainly take time to rebuild your finances during bankruptcy.

What If I Have Poor or No Credit History?

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Find Out How Much Mortgage You Can Afford

Weâll help you figure out what home price you may be able to afford.

Ready to start looking for your dream home? Donât just dream about it â let the TD Mortgage Affordability Calculator help you begin your search. Enter a few key details and the calculator will guide you in determining, with confidence, what house price may be within reach.

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Ready To Start Your Home Buying Journey

Whether you’re just thinking about buying or you’re ready to buy, you can get started online!

The Mortgage Affordability Calculator estimates a range of home prices you may be able to afford based on the accuracy and completeness of the data and information you enter. The results are intended for illustrative and general purposes only, and do not constitute, nor should they be relied upon as financial or other advice. To discuss your full range of home-buying options, please contact your branch or call

The results are calculated and generated based on the accuracy and completeness of the data and information you have entered and provide an estimate only. The results are intended for illustrative and general information purposes only, and do not constitute, nor should they be relied upon as, financial or other advice. The interest rate shown is calculated either semi-annually not in advance for fixed interest rate mortgages or monthly not in advance for variable interest rate mortgages. These rates are only available for already built, owner-occupied properties with amortization periods of 25 years or less. Any application is subject to credit approval. For more information, please contact us to discuss your home-financing options.

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How To Use Credit Karmas Home Affordability Calculator

If youre planning to buy a house, youll need to get a sense of how much home you can afford.

Our home affordability calculator could help you estimate how much you can afford to pay for a home as well as your estimated monthly mortgage payment and closing costs. This calculator provides an estimate based on the information you provide. It doesnt consider other costs associated with home ownership, such as maintenance and utilities.

Keep in mind that home price isnt the only factor that affects affordability. The interest rate on your home loan, your down payment and your loan term can all affect how much you end up paying for your home.

Our home affordability calculator considers the following factors:

• Are you a veteran?

Help To Buy Equity Loan

The equity loan scheme finances the purchase of newly built houses. You can borrow a minimum of 5% and a maximum of 20% of the propertys full price. As a requirement, you must make a 5% deposit and obtain a mortgage to shoulder 75% of the loan. The house must also be bought from a builder recognized by the program. As an advantage, interest is not charged during the first 5 years of the equity loan. For more information on this government scheme, visit the Help to Buy equity loan page.

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Documents Needed For Mortgage Application

Here are a few documents you should gather to help you understand your financial situation and how much house you can afford. This information will also be required when you apply for a pre-approved home loan.

• Recent statements from all bank and investment accounts
• Pay stubs and W-2 income tax forms
• Total monthly expenses, including all bills, groceries, clothing budgets, etc.
• All of your assets, including stocks, 401, IRAs, bonds, cash, rental properties, etc.
• All debt including credit cards, student loans, car loans, mortgages, etc.
• Profit and loss statements if you are self-employed
• Gift letters if you are using a gift to help with your down payment

Loan Term And Adjustable Vs Fixed Rate Mortgage

Loans with short terms usually have lower interest rates than loans that are paid off over a longer period of time.

An adjustable-rate mortgage might have a lower rate than a fixed-rate mortgage at first. But over time, the rate on an adjustable-rate mortgage could go up by a lot, while the rate on a fixed-rate mortgage would remain the same.

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How To Use The Mortgage Affordability Calculator

To use our mortgage affordability calculator, simply enter you and your partnerâs income , as well as your living costs and debt payments. The calculator can estimate your living expenses if you donât know them.

With these numbers, youâll be able to calculate how much you can afford to borrow. You can change your amortization period and mortgage rate, to see how that would affect your mortgage affordability and your monthly payments.

Canadian Home Mortgage Qualification Tips

If you are a first-time home buyer looking for the right price on a home in Canada, the real estate market in most metropolitan areas continues to be priced in such a way that it remains affordable to those making an average wage or above.

The resiliency of the market place over the past several years combined with a fairly good economy have created the type of environment that should encourage you to participate by buying.

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What Are The Different Types Of Home Loans

There are several types of home loans, but which one is right for you will depend entirely on what you qualify for and what ultimately makes the most sense for your financial situation. Below are the five most common home loans you will encounter.

Fixed-Rate Loan

Fixed-rate loans have the same interest rate for the entire duration of the loan. That means your monthly home payment will be the same, even for long-term loans, such as 30-year fixed-rate mortgages. Two benefits to this mortgage loan type are stability and being able to calculate your total interest on your home upfront.

Adjustable-Rate Loan

Adjustable-rate mortgages have interest rates that can change over time. Typically, they start out at a lower interest rate than a fixed-rate loan and hold that rate for a set number of years before changing interest rates from year to year. For example, if you have a 5/1 ARM, you will have the same interest rate for the first 5 years, and then your mortgage interest rate will change from year to year. The main benefit of an adjustable-rate loan is starting off with a lower interest rate to improve affordability.

FHA Loan

USDA Loan

This loan type is specifically designed for families looking to buy homes in rural areas. Similar to the FHA loan, this home loan lets lower-income families become homeowners. The loan does not require a down payment, but you will have to get private mortgage insurance.

VA Loan

Mortgage Down Payment And Affordability

Yourmortgage down paymentcan impact your mortgage affordability. A larger down payment can reduce your mortgage borrowing, lowering your interest costs andCMHC mortgage insurance premiums. A smaller down payment could lead to higher interest costs, more expensive mortgage insurance and potentially even disqualify you from an insured mortgage if your debt servicing ratios are too high.

Recent changes to CMHC regulations has made it harder to get an insured mortgage, making your down payment even more important. With a down payment of 20% or more, you can have a conventional mortgage without mortgage insurance and skip both the fees and requirements of CMHC mortgage insurance.

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