How much house can I afford?

Begin with a comfortable monthly number

List reliable monthly income, recurring debt payments, normal living costs, savings goals and the cash you can use at closing. The remaining room is a starting point for housing, not an automatic target.

Include property tax, insurance, PMI, association dues and maintenance reserves. A home price can look affordable when the calculator omits those costs.

Use debt-to-income as a check

Debt-to-income ratio divides monthly debt payments by gross monthly income. Lenders use it in different ways and loan programs have different requirements. It is useful for understanding pressure on the budget, but it does not capture groceries, childcare, repairs or savings goals.

Use the affordability calculator in Bricks

1. Open the Affordability Calculator from New.
2. Enter income and recurring monthly debt.
3. Set the down payment and expected mortgage rate.
4. Add the taxes, insurance and monthly costs you expect.
5. Review the estimated home-price range and monthly payment.

Then open a standard mortgage calculation for a price near the lower end of the range. Add property-specific costs and save the result.

Compare a comfortable and a maximum plan

Save at least two plans: a comfortable target and a higher boundary. Compare how much monthly room remains in each. A third plan with a lower down payment can show the effect of PMI and retained cash.

Use lender pre-approval to confirm borrowing options. Use your own budget to decide what you want to spend.

This guide is educational. Bricks Calc does not provide lending approval or financial advice.