{"id":9929,"date":"2026-08-30T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/?p=9929"},"modified":"2026-08-30T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T19:00:00","slug":"how-much-house-can-i-afford-mortgage-affordability-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/how-much-house-can-i-afford-mortgage-affordability-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"How much house can I afford? Mortgage affordability explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"roomvu-news-container\">\n<p>Lenders determine mortgage limits using income, debt, credit score, and down payment, often following the 28\/36 rule, which suggests housing costs not exceed 28% of pre-tax income and total debt 36%. However, true affordability depends on personal finances, lifestyle, and future goals. Buyers should consider all costs, including taxes, insurance, maintenance, and avoid maxing out budgets to maintain financial flexibility and reduce stress.<\/p>\n<p>\t<a class=\"roomvu-news-continue\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/money\/personalfinance\/real-estate\/how-much-house-can-i-afford\/91195972007\/\"><\/p>\n<div>Continue to full article<\/div>\n<p>\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lenders determine mortgage limits using income, debt, credit score, and down payment, often following the 28\/36 rule, which suggests housing costs not exceed 28% of pre-tax income and total debt 36%. However, true affordability depends on personal finances, lifestyle, and future goals. Buyers should consider all costs, including taxes, insurance, maintenance, and avoid maxing out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paOTA9-2A9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9573,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/mortgage-relief-could-help-us-buyers\/","url_meta":{"origin":9929,"position":0},"title":"Mortgage Relief Could Help US Buyers","author":"admin","date":"May 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Mortgage rates are currently higher than earlier in 2026, but remain below 2025 levels, helping more potential buyers qualify for financing today. Lower borrowing costs will help potential buyers qualify for financing and obtain a mortgage, making affordability conversations especially important right now for buyers. The condo market is showing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/home-prices-rising_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9934,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/us-buyers-navigate-low-6-rate-outlook\/","url_meta":{"origin":9929,"position":1},"title":"US Buyers Navigate Low-6% Rate Outlook","author":"admin","date":"August 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"An industry group projected the 30-yr fixed mortgage rate would hold in the low-6% range through the rest of 2026 nationally for buyers. That outlook suggested borrowing costs would stay elevated, continuing to compress affordability for US households shopping the new-home market in the balance of 2026. Entry-level buyers faced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/new-home-sales-edge-up-but-the-year-over-year-gap-widens-d60f_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10036,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/4-questions-shaping-us-housing-affordability\/","url_meta":{"origin":9929,"position":2},"title":"4 Questions Shaping US Housing Affordability","author":"admin","date":"October 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Housing affordability is on everyone\u2019s mind these days, and the landscape is shifting in ways that matter for everyday investors and homeowners. We\u2019re seeing clear signals of housing disinflation\u2014buyers and sellers are often out of sync, and sellers are increasingly offering concessions. For those determined to own a home, that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Editor's Pick&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Editor's Pick","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/editors-pick\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/america-housing-deflation-remotion-videos-70e4_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10018,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/us-mortgage-costs-hit-14-month-high\/","url_meta":{"origin":9929,"position":3},"title":"US Mortgage Costs Hit 14-Month High","author":"admin","date":"September 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Mortgage costs have reached a 14-month high, and that\u2019s putting extra pressure on buyers across the country. By late Q3, the typical monthly payment rose to $2,600 as mortgage rates climbed and median sale prices held steady\u2014now around $399,000, up about 2% from last year. That combination is making affordability\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/mortgage-costs-high-remotion-videos-de5b_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9867,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/nahb-housing-market-index-and-single-family-starts\/","url_meta":{"origin":9929,"position":4},"title":"NAHB Housing Market Index and Single Family Starts","author":"admin","date":"August 16, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Builder confidence in newly built single-family homes fell to 34 in July, remaining below 40 for 15 months due to affordability issues from high mortgage rates, material costs, and land prices. Price cuts and sales incentives increased, with 37% of builders reducing prices by an average of 6%. Pending home\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-6.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-6.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-6.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-6.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-6.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9290,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/when-might-it-make-sense-to-refinance-a-mortgage-key-things-to-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":9929,"position":5},"title":"When Might It Make Sense to Refinance a Mortgage? Key Things to Know","author":"admin","date":"March 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Mortgage refinancing involves replacing an existing mortgage, which may help change the interest rate, adjust loan terms, or access home equity. Potential benefits can include different monthly payments and more predictable terms, but closing costs often fall around 1% to 5% of the loan amount, plus possible penalties depending on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-10.jpg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9929"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9933,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9929\/revisions\/9933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}