AbodeWave
Home affordability reference

How much house can you actually afford?

Plain answers on affordability, down payments and closing costs, so you buy on numbers instead of headlines. Every figure here is illustrative, and every market read shows its arithmetic.

Start with: The affordability math · The 28/36 rule · Affordability calculator · All market reads

Illustration of a city housing skyline

Read any market in three signals

  • InventoryMore homes for sale hands leverage back to buyers.
  • Days on marketThe longer listings sit, the sooner sellers negotiate.
  • Price cutsRising reductions are the clearest sign of a cooling market.

Affordability calculator

Change the four inputs and the payment updates. Open "How we got this" to see every step of the arithmetic.
Est. monthly payment$3,756Illustrative estimate including taxes & insurance. Not a loan quote.
What is in a payment

Rates, property taxes and insurance vary by lender and by county, so the calculator uses illustrative placeholders rather than a live rate feed. Check current figures with your lender and your county assessor before you rely on a number.

New to the numbers? Start here

The guides to read first

All guides →
01Affordability read

How Much House Can You Afford? The Real Affordability Math

How much house you can afford is about the monthly payment your budget sustains, not the price a lender approves. This market read prices what it holds.

02Affordability read

20 Percent Down Payment on a House: Do You Need It?

A 20 percent down payment on a house is not required: real minimums by loan type, true PMI costs, and the waiting-cost math that decides what to put down.

03Affordability read

How Much Cash Do You Need to Buy a House?

This market read answers how much cash do you need to buy a house, summing the down payment, closing costs, reserves, and moving into one step-by-step figure.

04Affordability read

How Much Are Closing Costs for a Buyer? Line by Line

This market read itemizes buyer closing costs: the 2 to 5 percent range, the three fee buckets, what a $300,000 purchase actually runs, and how to lower them.

05Affordability read

Are Closing Costs Included in the Down Payment?

Closing costs are not included in the down payment. A market read on why the two stay separate, whether either offsets the other, and when you pay both.

06Buying process

How to Buy Your First Home: 8 Steps for First-Time Buyers

This market note walks the steps to buying a house for the first time, from checking credit to closing day, with the whole cash need beyond the down payment.

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Buying process30 guidesAffordability read20 guidesFinancing read14 guidesOwning a home2 guidesBuying walkthrough2 guides
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Latest market reads

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Two men sitting at a kitchen counter studying several printed pages spread in front of them, one pointing at a pageNewest read
Buying process

Average Price Reduction After a Home Inspection: Typical Range

This market read sizes the average price reduction after a home inspection: illustrative ranges, what actually drives the number, and how to size your ask.

23 min read
A blank for-sale sign post standing on a front lawn in front of a tan single-story house at golden hourBuying process

When Buyer and Seller Can't Agree After Inspection

This market read covers what happens when buyer and seller cannot agree after inspection: your options, earnest money mechanics, and when to walk away.

23 min read
A row of single-story and two-story houses with manicured lawns along a suburban sidewalk under a clear blue skyBuying process

Contingent vs Pending vs Under Contract: What Each Means

This market read explains contingent vs pending vs under contract: what each status means, whether you can still offer, and what happens next on each.

23 min read
A couple and an advisor in a suit reviewing a printed document together at a table with a small house model and a calculatorFinancing read

What Is a Mortgage Recast? How It Works and Costs

This market read explains what a mortgage recast is: how it lowers your payment without a new loan, what it costs, and who typically qualifies for one.

23 min read
A blank for-sale sign post on a lawn in front of a tan one-story house with a dark roof, photographed at golden hourBuying process

How to Buy a Foreclosed Home or Short Sale (7 Steps)

This market note walks how to buy a foreclosed home or short sale in seven steps, covering financing differences, inspection risk, and closing protections.

24 min read
Two people shaking hands across a desk, a small model house and a document with a pen resting between them, a window with greenery behindFinancing read

What Is an Assumable Mortgage? How It Works

This market read explains what an assumable mortgage is, which loans qualify, the equity gap buyers must bridge, and when assuming one beats a new loan.

26 min read
A blank spiral desk calendar standing beside a single silver house key and a folded stack of hundred-dollar bills on a pale tabletopFinancing read

15-Year vs 30-Year Mortgage: Which Term Fits You?

This market read compares a 15-year vs 30-year mortgage: the payment gap, the total interest saved, equity speed, and who each loan term actually fits.

23 min read
A small wooden house figure with a miniature open umbrella mounted above its roof, sitting on a wood table with blurred green houseplants in the backgroundFinancing read

ARM vs Fixed-Rate Mortgage: Which Should You Choose?

This market read compares ARM vs fixed-rate mortgages: how each rate works, the payment math on the same loan, rate caps, and who each one actually fits.

23 min read
A blank for-sale sign on a post in front of a single-story brown-sided house with a gabled roof and a green lawn, in late-day golden lightBuying process

Bridge Loan vs Home Sale Contingency: Buying While Selling

This market note weighs a bridge loan vs home sale contingency for buying while selling, plus HELOCs, rent-back deals, and what each path really costs.

25 min read

Get a home-buying cost breakdown by email

Tell us what you are looking for and we will email you a breakdown of what that price range costs to buy and to carry: payment, closing costs, and the monthly reality. We are not a lender, a brokerage or an agent, we cannot pre-approve anyone, and we will not pass your details on.

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About AbodeWave

Housing math, shown plainly

A house is the biggest number in most budgets. We treat it that way.

AbodeWave explains how home-buying arithmetic works: what goes into a monthly payment, how a down payment changes the loan, where closing costs come from, and which rules of thumb hold up. We do not run a housing dataset or a rate feed. Every figure and calculator result here is illustrative and rounded to show the mechanism, not a quote, an appraisal, or a prediction about your own numbers.

Amounts that change by county and by lender, such as loan limits, mortgage insurance, tax rates and current interest rates, are described rather than asserted, with a pointer to the body that publishes them. We are writers and editors, not your lender, agent, appraiser, or financial adviser. Confirm current figures and talk to a licensed professional before you decide.

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