how much mortgage could i get
You can’t get a precise “how much mortgage could I get?” answer without your exact income, debts, and location, but you can estimate your range using a few common lender rules and online calculators.
How much mortgage could I get?
Lenders usually start from your income , then subtract what you already owe, and finally test if you can still afford the monthly payment at today’s interest rates.
Most mainstream lenders in 2025–2026 use very similar building blocks:
- Minimum credit score around 620 for typical “conventional” loans, sometimes 580 for government‑backed options like FHA.
- Debt‑to‑income (DTI) cap roughly 43–45% of your gross monthly income (all debts, including the new mortgage).
- Minimum down payment from 3–5% of the property price for many first‑time buyer programs.
- Proof of stable income and employment for about two years.
So the “how much mortgage could I get” number is really “what loan size keeps your DTI under that limit, with your real interest rate and down payment.”
Quick rule‑of‑thumb estimate
You can use this simple mental model as a story of how a lender thinks:
Imagine your gross income as a pie. Lenders will only let all your monthly debts eat a certain slice of that pie (around 40–45%). Whatever is left in that slice after your other debts is what can go to a mortgage payment.
Very rough steps:
- Take your gross monthly income (before tax).
- Multiply by about 0.40–0.45 to get your maximum total monthly debt allowance.
- Subtract your existing monthly debts (cards, car, student loans, personal loans).
- The remainder is roughly the highest mortgage payment a lender will consider.
- Convert that payment into a loan amount using a realistic interest rate and term (often done via an online affordability calculator).
Online “how much can I borrow” tools from major lenders or comparison sites automate this math once you plug in your income, debts, down payment, and a sample rate.
Typical ranges: income vs borrowing
The exact multiplier varies a lot, but many borrowers end up somewhere around 3–5× gross annual income as a very broad range, depending on:
- How much other debt you carry.
- Your credit score and interest rate.
- Your down payment and loan type.
Because costs (and lender rules) differ by country, banks often prefer to show you a calculator instead of promising a fixed multiple. For example:
- UK/European‑style tools often ask for income and deposit, then show a maximum mortgage, plus a reminder to check real‑world affordability.
- US lenders emphasize your payment comfort (including taxes, insurance, and maintenance) rather than just the largest possible loan.
What lenders actually look at
Here’s a compact view of what shapes “how much mortgage could I get” in 2025–2026.
Key factor| How it affects your maximum mortgage
---|---
Income & job stability| Higher and more stable income supports a higher
payment and thus larger mortgage. 1379
Existing debts| More car/credit/student debt eats up your allowed DTI and
shrinks the mortgage you can qualify for. 123610
Credit score| Better scores can unlock lower rates and more flexible DTI,
boosting your maximum loan. 1379
Down payment| Bigger deposit reduces the loan size and may allow higher price
points with the same payment. 13459
Loan type| Conventional, FHA, USDA and other programs have different minimum
scores, down payments and DTI caps. 379
Property type| Primary home is easiest; second home and investment property
need stronger credit and bigger down payments. 13
How to get a sharper number today
Because I don’t have your personal figures, I can’t tell you your exact maximum, but you can quickly narrow it down like this (takes ~10 minutes):
- Gather your numbers
- Monthly gross income for everyone on the mortgage.
- List of all monthly debts (minimum payments).
- Approximate down payment you can put together.
- Rough property price range in your area (based on listings).
- Plug into 1–2 online affordability calculators
- Use at least one large bank’s “how much can I afford/borrow?” tool.
* Also try a neutral comparison site calculator to cross‑check.
* Note both the _maximum_ they say you can borrow and the monthly payment that goes with it.
- Reality‑check the payment
- Add estimates for taxes, insurance and upkeep to see if you’re really comfortable with that figure.
* Many people intentionally borrow **less** than the maximum to leave room for savings and rising costs.
- (Optional) Talk to a lender or broker
- A quick pre‑qualification can refine the range based on your credit and local loan limits.
What’s “latest” or trending about this in 2025–2026
Mortgage conversations online right now heavily focus on:
- How higher interest rates cut the maximum mortgage you qualify for, even when your income hasn’t changed.
- Newer flexibility in some programs (for example, allowing an average score across two borrowers to meet minimums, or low‑down‑payment conventional options for first‑time buyers).
- The trade‑off between getting approved for the largest possible loan vs what’s actually comfortable once you factor in maintenance and lifestyle spending.
Forum discussions often read like:
“The bank says I can borrow way more than feels safe. I ran my own budget and decided to target a smaller monthly payment so I can still travel and save.”
This is a good mindset: treat the lender’s maximum as an upper limit , not your target.
If you want a tailored ballpark
If you’re comfortable sharing rough figures, reply with:
- Country (and region, e.g., US – California, or UK – North West).
- Gross yearly income (household).
- Monthly debt payments (car, cards, loans).
- Approximate down payment (cash) you could use.
- Whether it’s a primary home, second home, or rental.
I can then walk through a worked example so you see how the numbers translate into a realistic “how much mortgage could I get” range, plus a safer “what I should borrow” range.