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You are here: Home / Home Buying / How Much Home Can I Afford?

How Much Home Can I Afford?

April 1, 2020 By Ralph Gates

If you’re like most Americans, you’ve been thinking about buying a home for quite some time. Many people dream about buying their first home long before they have the means to do so. You may have even picked out the curtains already. But one of the first steps toward making your dream home a reality, is determining how much home you can afford. Failing to do so, can land you in a situation that quickly sours your dream by creating unsustainable monthly payments that turn your dream into a financial nightmare.

Fortunately, figuring out that mystical number doesn’t have to be rocket science. Use our top tips to help you buy a home that is a dream for you and your budget.

1. Calculate the Price You Can Afford Based on Your Income

This step provides that most critical insight into the amount of money you have to spend each month based on your income. The goal is for you to not only have enough money to make your monthly mortgage payments, but also to pay your bills each month and have money to enjoy greater quality of life. Even your dream home can feel like a prison if you don’t have money left over to enjoy the things that make life fun.

You don’t have to be a math whiz to use our loan calculator for a good idea of how much your monthly payments will be for a specific mortgage amount. While our calculator doesn’t include everything that may be wrapped into your loan payment, such as mortgage insurance premiums, home insurance, property tax, etc.; it can give you a big picture idea of how the monthly payments will affect your month-to-month income and about lifestyle changes you may need to make.

Here’s the information you’ll need to make our loan calculator work for you:

  • Total price of the home
  • Down payment
  • Interest payment
  • Amortization period (length of the loan)
  • Payment period (monthly)

This information can help you determine a price point for your dream home you can comfortably repay.

2. Maximize Your Down Payment

Most loan programs require home buyers to offer a minimum down payment amount.  The good news for you is that by saving up to make a larger down payment, you can often afford a little more house. Sometimes, it allows you to afford a lot more house. Large down payments along with healthy credit scores can help you obtain lower interest rates that allow your house buying money to stretch even further. Plus, the less money you need to finance, the less you’ll ultimately pay for the privilege of owning your home!

3. Know Your Mortgage Options

Home buyers come from all walks of life. As a result, you may have different needs from your home loans. We are proud to offer a wide range of home loan products to meet a variety of needs. These are some of the options we make available to our community of home buyers:

  • Construction Loans
  • FHA Loans
  • USDA Loans
  • Conventional Fixed Loans

More importantly, we understand that you are unique individuals with unique borrowing needs. We work with you to identify the mortgage loans that will best meet your needs. It’s part of the unmatched service we offer you.

Are you looking for a home loan service that has your best interests in mind? One that offers the best advice for you, regardless of your budget? Call or stop by Mid America Mortgage today to begin your journey to home ownership.

Filed Under: Home Buying

Contact Us Today

Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc, NMLS #1142067
200 E Walnut St.
Columbia, MO 65203

Phone: (573) 875-1100

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"I knew Jeanie Byland for a long time. She made the process so easy. One of the things I probably appreciated the most was that she didn't want to spoil the excitement of closing on a new house by showing up on closing day finding out that we owe a lot more than we thought. They were upfront with that information right from the get-go, and that’s because it’s just like they say, ‘They wouldn’t put you in a loan that they would be comfortable taking themselves.’”

Jamie

"They really explained the process to us very well and made us feel very comfortable, specifically Jeanie Byland. I have never asked a question that I felt dumb about. They really wanted to educate us and have been fantastic. The interest rates changed one day and they called me to say, ‘Hey we might ought to look into refinancing your loan’. I really felt like they had our best interest at heart."

Steve

"When we were 18 and 19 years old no one wanted to help us get started. But Michelle took us under her wing 6 years ago next month. There is a lot of people out there that could of taken advantage of us many of times because we had no idea what was going on. For Michelle to stand beside us and walk us through, and not let us get into something that could get us in a lot of trouble means the world. We thank Michelle and we are extremely blessed to be able to work with her and her team. I have never even thought about talking to another lender and will always be loyal to Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc."

Cody and Morgan

"My wife and I have moved around quite a bit with my job so we have been through the process before, but we have never had anybody help us as much as Michelle West Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc did. We needed a loan for a new construction home and they were able to help us out with all of our needs and make us feel comfortable with what we were doing moving forward. They did a good job of walking us through the paperwork to make sure that we were pre-approved for a certain amount."

Jason

Selling our home of 17 years and building a new home was a very emotional time for our family. We were ready for the next adventure in our lives but knew there were numerous steps involved. The search for a mortgage officer was simple, Michelle was our choice. Her guidance and knowledge made the process as easy as possible. When we had questions, she was always there to give us an answer and discuss our options. The employees of Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc like Michelle will keep us returning for our mortgage needs.

Chad and Julee

Michelle, I want to thank you for all of your efforts on the loan. I never knew how much information the needed! I appreciate your personal nature and ease of working together. Thank you for making this happen! :)

Amy

"I’m a very loyal customer at Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc. I have an addiction to building houses and designing them, and they are always right there with me every step of the way helping me get the best loan product and the best rates whenever I am ready to build. They make sure you don’t get a loan that you can’t afford. The whole process was very smooth. I would recommend Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc to anyone because they are always there to teach you, help you, and make it easy for you every step of the way."

Kate

"I have had mortgages since 2004 in Columbia and have gone through a couple of banks, but over the last several years, the last couple of houses have been with Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc. Michelle has told us many times, 'I am not going to put you in a situation I am not comfortable with you being in, regardless of what it means for our company'.

Heidi always has a smile on her face and when you walk through the door, they recognize you and say “Hi”. I definitely recommend anyone who is in the home buying, purchasing, refinancing, upgrading business to go to Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc, ask for Michelle because they are going to be the best person you can work with."

John

"One of the main things that I loved about Michelle was she was so organized. She would meet us at any location she needed to, and to be honest she had the absolute lowest interest rate. They were always very transparent with fees so there were no surprises. Michelle was always super easy and we would always run in talk to her even it was for a few minutes. The best thing was the process was very, very smooth."

Chris and Jamie

"My family owns Tiger Ice Company. My experience with Ralph at Mid America started with Tiger Ice because we needed to expand our facility. When we went in to talk to Ralph at Mid America, he pretty much was straight up with us and told us we needed to go back to the drawing board. We came back with new numbers and a new plan, and we built the facility and everything was fine. Our dream of that would not have been possible at all without Mid America Mortgage Services, Inc and Ralph. They don’t tell you what you want to hear, they tell you the truth and that's what we weren't getting from other banks."

Andy


Phone: (573) 875-1100
200 E Walnut St, Columbia, MO 65203

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