How to Set a Budget for Buying Your First Home

What you can buy and what you can afford are two different things

Fact checked by Michael LoganReviewed by Katie MillerFact checked by Michael LoganReviewed by Katie Miller

A home will probably be one of the most significant single purchases you’ll ever make. Given the cost, it’s one you’ll want to make sure you can afford. But what constitutes “affordable” will differ from one homebuyer to the next. As of the second quarter of 2024, the median sales price for a new home was $412,300, which means that some buyers pay a lot more than that, and others a lot less.

The mistake first-time buyers tend to make is shopping on the amount a lender is willing to advance them, without considering other expenses. Setting a budget for buying a home takes understanding the various costs that home ownership entails, from homeowner’s insurance and property taxes to maintenance costs, not to mention what’s needed to close on a house. Here are the expenses you’ll need to plan for.

Key Takeaways

• Setting a homebuying budget involves more than affording a monthly mortgage payment.
• Calculate your entire debt-to-income ratio—all your monthly expenses divided by your gross income—to determine if a home is affordable.
• Homeownership involves a variety of ongoing costs, including homeowners’ insurance, property taxes, and repair expenses.
• If you could make a 20% down payment on a home, you may not need private mortgage insurance.
• There are national homebuying programs like FHA or VA mortgages designed to help first-time homebuyers.

The 28% Rule Can Get You Started

One of the easiest ways to calculate your home buying budget is the 28% rule. This rule of thumb dictates that your mortgage shouldn’t be more than 28% of your gross income each month. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is a bit more generous, allowing consumers to spend as much as 31% of their gross income on a mortgage.

But don’t forget if you have other debts, too. Many younger homebuyers are still paying down student loan debt. All buyers should be saving for their retirement years, and many buyers have children who will need college at some point in the future. You must consider these obligations in addition to the potential mortgage payment to determine how much you can genuinely afford.

Mortgage lenders look at a prospective borrower’s debt-to-income ratio when determining if they will lend money. Let’s say your monthly mortgage payment is $1,000 a month, and your other expenses are $1,000; overall, your monthly financial obligations come to $2,000. Now, let’s say you have a gross monthly income of $6,000, which puts your debt-to-income ratio at 33%, which may be too high.

43%

Generally, the highest debt-to-income ratio a borrower can have and get a mortgage from a qualified lender.

Homeowning Expenses Beyond the Mortgage

Getting preapproved for a home loan is an essential first step in the homebuying process, but it is only one consideration. A mortgage isn’t the only recurring expense: homeownership comes with many other ongoing costs, which buyers need to anticipate. These include homeowners’ insurance, utilities, repairs, and maintenance costs. Maintenance alone can add up: In many parts of the country, the lawn needs to be cut, the snow must be shoveled, and the leaves raked. Buyers also need to consider property taxes.

These expenses can add significantly to your monthly outlays, making a home that seemed affordable on paper pricey in reality. So you should include all of these costs and other regular expenses when determining how much home you can afford. A $1,500-per-month mortgage payment may be palatable, but add $1,500 in monthly expenses, and suddenly your obligations have doubled.

Warning

Mortgage lending discrimination is illegal. If you think you’ve been discriminated against based on race, religion, sex, marital status, use of public assistance, national origin, disability, or age, there are steps you can take. One such step is to file a report to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) or with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Your Down Payment Should Dictate the Purchase Price

Generally, lenders want homebuyers to pay at least 20% of the purchase price in cash. If they can only afford to make a smaller down payment, they can still get a mortgage but often must also shoulder the extra expense of private mortgage insurance (PMI). Paying PMI means an increase in the monthly mortgage payment of anywhere from 0.5% to 1% of the loan amount.

How much you pay in PMI will depend on the size of the home, your credit score, and the potential for the property to appreciate, among other things. If you can’t swing $60,000 down on a $300,000 home, shoot for at least 10%. The higher the down payment, the less interest you’ll pay over the life of the loan, and the smaller your monthly mortgage payment will be, even if you are hit with mortgage insurance.

The amount you’ve saved for the down payment should also influence the house you buy. If you have enough to put 20% on one home but 10% on another, the cheaper home will give you more bang for your buck.

Buyers also need to set aside closing costs, which can amount to between 3% and 6% of the purchase price, depending on which state you live in. If you purchase a $200,000 home, you could pay between $6,000 and $12,000 in closing costs alone. The less you have to finance the loan, the lower interest you will pay over the life of the loan, and the sooner you’ll see a return on your investment.

Choose a Property You Can Handle

When considering the affordability of a home, first-time buyers need to consider the condition and size of the property. After all, large isn’t always good, especially if the cost of heating and cooling your home breaks your budget. A quaint home sitting atop a picturesque hill may be a dream come true, but shoveling that long, steep driveway during the winter months could be a costly nightmare. So could that 3,000-square-foot fixer-upper, which seems super cheap until you realize that you need to renovate every room in the house.

Look at utility bills for the properties you’re considering—and have a construction expert estimate what fixing it up could cost. If you’re planning to do it mostly yourself, be realistic about what you can handle, both in skill sets and time.

How Much Home Can I Afford?

One way to calculate your home buying budget is to use the 28% rule. This rule states that your mortgage should not cost you more than 28% of your gross earnings each month.

What Is the Amount of Down Payment I Need?

How much down payment you need to spend depends on a few factors, including what the seller will accept. A conventional mortgage usually calls for 20% of the selling price as a down payment, but an FHA home loan, for example, only calls for the buyer to spend 3.5% of the purchase price.

What Is the 28% Rule?

The 28% rule is a common “rule of thumb” for how much money you can afford to spend on a monthly mortgage payment. This recommendation says you should not spend more than 28% of your gross monthly salary. However, this rule isn’t always right for every home buyer. For example, the FHA says that consumers can use as much as 31% of their gross income on a mortgage.

What Does “House Rich But Cash Poor” Mean?

When you are “house rich but cash poor,” it means you have more equity in your home than cash in your bank accounts. In these cases, most of your money is tied up in your home rather than being accessible liquid assets. If you need to access cash quickly, you may not be able to if all of your money is invested in your home. However, if you have a lot of home equity, you can access it with an equity line of credit or home equity loan.

The Bottom Line

Homeownership is still the American dream, but it can quickly become a nightmare if you miscalculate your purchase and don’t make a smart financial plan. First-time buyers, in particular, must make sure that the house they purchase is affordable by considering more than just the monthly mortgage payment.

Without some upfront calculations, they can find themselves house-rich but cash-poor, leading to financial pain. Take time to cost out your dream home before you sign for it.

Read the original article on Investopedia.