How Much Home Loan Can I Afford?

Have you ever asked yourself how much home loan can I afford? If you know how much of a payment you qualify for before shopping for a home, your purchase will go much smoother and it can save you a lot of headaches.

How would you like to find the perfect place to live then not know if you can qualify for the loan? Long before you even start looking for your home, you need to know how much home loan you can afford.

Many factors are involved to qualify for a loan. Each lender has different guidelines and there are a multitude of different types of mortgage loans.

Jumbo mortgage loans will be harder to qualify for than a conforming mortgage loan. Other factors like down payment, loan amount and what is considered a good credit score will also make a difference.

There are some general guidelines lenders use that will help answer your question, how much home loan can I afford? These are only rough estimates, but you can get a good idea if you will qualify for a home loan and how much of a monthly payment you can afford.

1. Your mortgage payment, taxes, home owners insurance and any other fixed housing expense should be between 25% and 28% of your total gross (before taxes) monthly household income.

2. Your monthly housing costs (the total figure above) plus any other long term debt (monthly expenses extending longer than 11 months) such as car or boat loans, credit cards or installment loans should not exceed more than 40% of your gross (before taxes) monthly household income.

These figures can get higher if you have a higher credit score because you are a better risk to a lender and are more likely to pass their home loan guidelines.

What is considered a good credit score to a lender usually starts with a score of 680 and above. Lenders vary but a 680 score and above means you will likely get the very best interest rates and terms on your loan.

Lenders use the three major credit bureaus; Experian, Trans Union and Equifax to get an average credit score for you. It's a good idea to check your credit reports from all three major credit bureaus before you qualify for a home loan.

That way if you find any mistakes, you can clear them up before a lender sees your credit report. Once you get your credit report check carefully to see that everything is accurate.

If you find any errors, dispute it immediately with the three major credit bureaus. It takes time to get the errors off of your credit report. If you have a clear credit report before you apply for a loan you are more likely to have a pleasant experience instead of a nightmare.

The best way to know if you will qualify for a home loan is talk with a mortgage professional. This is what they are trained to do and they can give you much more accurate figures so there are no surprises when you go to make an offer.

So now when you are ready to qualify for a loan you'll know exactly how much home loan you can afford.

Copyright © 2005 Credit Repair Facts.com All Rights Reserved.

This article is supplied by http://www.credit-repair-facts.com where you will find credit information, debt elimination programs and informative facts that give you the knowledge to correct your own credit and credit report. For more credit related articles like these go to: http://www.credit-repair-facts.com/article s_1.html


Tips for Finding the Best Agri Mortgage and the Best Agri Loan

The Research Rates of Agri MortgageFirst thing, when finding an... Read More

Home Mortgage Rate Shopping - Why Some Shoppers Give Up And Others Dont

About 29% of current homeowners and a much larger percent... Read More

Revive Mortgage Tenure With Extend Loan Term Remortgage

You are comfortably wedged in a mortgage deal, paying the... Read More

Making Sense of Mortgage Speak

Applying for a home loan can be overwhelming. You will... Read More

Home Mortgages: Should You Apply Now?

If you're thinking about applying for a new mortgage or... Read More

Repayment of Loans ? Lessening the Bitterness of the Process

So how have you planned the repayment? Don't tell if... Read More

Types of Mortgages

Here is a useful guide to the different types of... Read More

Home Loans: To Substantiate Financial Possibilities On Your Land

Availability of Home loans is in full bloom. They are... Read More

Why Choose a Remortgage?

A remortgage can be used for the purpose of gaining... Read More

Seniors Can Use a Reverse Mortgage to Fund Annuities, Investments, and Insurance Policies

For many seniors in or entering retirement, the prospect of... Read More

Student Home Purchase Plan

Tuition costs are climbing, housing costs are climbing, it seems... Read More

Finding the Online Homeowner Loans You Want

Online homeowner loans have been growing in popularity in recent... Read More

How to Save Money by Using an Independent Commercial Mortgage Broker

Being a creature of habit can cost you plenty when... Read More

Home Equity Loan or Home Equity Line of Credit ? Which is right for you?

The most common type of home equity loan is the... Read More

Reverse Mortgage Maximization

Have your home's appreciation grow twice as fast.For Seniors over... Read More

Keep Your Eye Focused on Treasury Bond Rates To Adjust Your Current Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates typically are based off the current rates of... Read More

Home Mortgages: How About Those 1.75% Loans?

You've undoubtedly heard or seen ads for mortgages with very... Read More

Thought Fixed Rate Will Give You a Respite from the Perils of Variable Rates! Think Again

Slight increases in the interest rates raise your hackles. Tension... Read More

Adjustable Rate Basics

An adjustable rate loan, most simply stated, means that your... Read More

Buy To Let Mortgages ? To Let in Reasonable Capital Growth with Financial Obligation

Every individual needs a home and every home needs an... Read More

Bad Credit Mortgage Loans ? How To Get Approved

Persistence is the key working toward getting approved for a... Read More

Ten Things a Mortgage Processor Must Know to be Effective

From time to time, we hear a story about a... Read More

Mortgage-Refinance Loan Measurment 101 -- Evaluate Your Own Ability to Pay

We live in a society where people are losing their... Read More

Home Buyers Face Decisions that Affect Their Long-Term Financial Picture

Taking the step for prospective home buyers.into home ownership is... Read More

How to Find the Lowest Rate Possible!

The quest is on! You're in the market for a... Read More