One of the most popular questions we get asked when sitting down with first-time home buyers is, “How much can I afford?” which essentially is the question, “How much will my monthly payment be?” Many people live in terms of monthly payments when it comes to things such as homes, cars, and so on, which means understanding the amount of home you can afford in terms of a monthly payment is very common.
One thing we try to remind buyers when meeting with them is not just to consider how much they can afford to pay monthly for their new home, but how their current lifestyle factors into buying a home.
It’s only normal to be accustomed to living a certain way, whether you’re big on travel, going out to eat, or planning for retirement. When buying a home, there are often costs associated with home ownership that you may not have considered when first setting your home buying budget. Take those costs, plus your monthly mortgage payment, and there could be very little wiggle room left for anything else. That is if you don’t plan ahead.