Buying a home is a significant financial decision, and understanding how much you can realistically afford is crucial. A mortgage affordability calculator helps estimate the maximum loan amount you might qualify for, based on your income, existing debts, down payment, and current market interest rates.
Key Factors Explained:
Annual Household Income: This is the total gross income (before taxes) of all borrowers combined. Lenders use this as a primary indicator of your ability to repay a loan.
Existing Monthly Debt Payments: This includes all your recurring monthly financial obligations, such as car loans, student loans, credit card minimum payments, and personal loans. Lenders consider these as part of your overall debt burden.
Down Payment: The upfront amount you pay towards the home purchase. A larger down payment reduces the loan amount needed, potentially making you eligible for a larger loan or a better interest rate.
Interest Rate: The percentage charged by the lender on the loan amount. Higher interest rates increase your monthly payments and reduce the amount you can borrow for a given payment capacity.
Loan Term: The duration over which you will repay the mortgage, typically 15, 20, or 30 years. A longer loan term results in lower monthly payments but more interest paid over the life of the loan.
How the Calculator Works:
This calculator uses common lending guidelines to estimate affordability. A widely used rule of thumb is that your total housing costs (including principal, interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance – often referred to as PITI) should not exceed 28% of your gross monthly income, and your total debt (including PITI) should not exceed 36% of your gross monthly income. This calculator focuses on estimating the maximum loan amount based on these debt-to-income ratios and the provided loan terms and interest rate, after accounting for your down payment.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides an estimate for informational purposes only. It does not constitute a loan offer or guarantee of approval. Actual loan approval and terms will depend on a lender's specific underwriting criteria, credit score, property appraisal, and other factors. It is highly recommended to consult with a mortgage professional for personalized advice.
function calculateMortgageAffordability() {
var annualIncome = parseFloat(document.getElementById("annualIncome").value);
var monthlyDebt = parseFloat(document.getElementById("monthlyDebt").value);
var downPayment = parseFloat(document.getElementById("downPayment").value);
var interestRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("interestRate").value);
var loanTerm = parseFloat(document.getElementById("loanTerm").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = ""; // Clear previous results
if (isNaN(annualIncome) || isNaN(monthlyDebt) || isNaN(downPayment) || isNaN(interestRate) || isNaN(loanTerm)) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter valid numbers for all fields.";
return;
}
if (annualIncome <= 0 || monthlyDebt < 0 || downPayment < 0 || interestRate <= 0 || loanTerm <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter positive values for income, interest rate, and loan term. Debt and down payment can be zero but not negative.";
return;
}
var monthlyIncome = annualIncome / 12;
var maxHousingPayment = monthlyIncome * 0.28; // Based on the 28% rule for housing costs
var maxTotalDebtPayment = monthlyIncome * 0.36; // Based on the 36% rule for total debt
var maxAllowedMonthlyMortgagePayment = maxTotalDebtPayment – monthlyDebt;
// Ensure maxAllowedMonthlyMortgagePayment is not negative
if (maxAllowedMonthlyMortgagePayment 0) {
var monthlyInterestRate = (interestRate / 100) / 12;
var numberOfPayments = loanTerm * 12;
if (monthlyInterestRate > 0) {
// Formula to calculate maximum loan amount from a desired monthly payment
// M = P [ i(1 + i)^n ] / [ (1 + i)^n – 1] where M is monthly payment, P is principal (loan amount), i is monthly interest rate, n is number of payments
// Rearranging to solve for P:
// P = M [ (1 + i)^n – 1] / [ i(1 + i)^n ]
var numerator = Math.pow(1 + monthlyInterestRate, numberOfPayments) – 1;
var denominator = monthlyInterestRate * Math.pow(1 + monthlyInterestRate, numberOfPayments);
maxLoanAmount = maxAllowedMonthlyMortgagePayment * (numerator / denominator);
} else {
// Handle case where interest rate is 0 (though uncommon for mortgages)
maxLoanAmount = maxAllowedMonthlyMortgagePayment * numberOfPayments;
}
}
var estimatedMaxHomePrice = maxLoanAmount + downPayment;
resultDiv.innerHTML =
"
" +
"
Estimated Affordability:
" +
"Maximum Affordable Loan Amount: $" + maxLoanAmount.toFixed(2).replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ",") + "" +
"Estimated Maximum Home Price (with your down payment): $" + estimatedMaxHomePrice.toFixed(2).replace(/\B(?=(\d{3})+(?!\d))/g, ",") + "" +
"Note: This calculation assumes your total monthly debt payments (including estimated PITI) should not exceed 36% of your gross monthly income. The 28% rule for housing costs (PITI only) is also a common guideline." +
"