Every number on HowAffordable targets your take-home pay, not a lender's maximum — and every assumption behind that number is written down here, not hidden in a black box. This page covers how we calculate, who's behind the site, and how to reach us.
Every calculator on this site follows the same underlying philosophy, then applies it to the specifics of a home, a car, a monthly budget, or a savings plan. Here's exactly what goes into each one.
Lenders qualify borrowers against gross income (pay before taxes), often up to 43% of it in total debt for a "qualified mortgage." HowAffordable calculates against your take-home pay instead, and targets a meaningfully lower debt-to-income ceiling — 28% for an "A" result, 36% for a comfortable "B." That's why our numbers usually come in below what a pre-approval letter shows. Lower isn't a worse answer; it's the one less likely to leave you house-poor.
Every report card lands on the same A–F scale, whether it came from the home, car, budget, or savings calculator — so a grade means the same thing site-wide.
| Grade | What it means | Typical DTI / ratio band |
|---|---|---|
| A | Comfortable with real room to spare | ≤ 28% |
| B | Comfortable — the standard "affordable" line | 29%–36% |
| C | Workable, but tight most months | 37%–43% |
| D | At a lender's typical maximum | 44%–50% |
| F | Likely to strain your budget | 50%+ |
Rates & housing data: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey · Bankrate property tax by state
Debt & lending guidance: CFPB — debt-to-income & PMI cancellation rules · FHA/HUD mortgage insurance guidance
Tax & deduction figures: IRS 2026 tax inflation adjustments · USMI — mortgage insurance deductibility
Ownership & rent comparison: HomeGuide — maintenance costs · Offerpad — selling cost assumptions
HowAffordable is not a lender, broker, or financial advisor, and nothing on this site is financial, legal, or tax advice. Every calculator uses stated assumptions in place of your actual lender's underwriting — always confirm real numbers with a licensed loan officer, tax professional, or financial advisor before making a decision.
Most affordability tools online are built to get you pre-approved for as much as a lender will allow. HowAffordable was built to answer a different question: what can you afford comfortably, on the income you actually take home? That gap — often $30,000–$50,000 on a home purchase — is the entire reason this site exists.
Every calculator targets your after-tax pay, not your gross income — the number that actually has to cover your bills.
Every guide and every report card shows the formula and a worked example, not just a conclusion to trust blindly.
Every calculator is free to use with no account required. The site runs on advertising, never on selling your data.
I'm not a financial advisor, a loan officer, or a real estate agent, and I don't pretend to be one. What I am: a GM World Class Certified Technician with 20+ years on a dealership service floor, and the former owner of my own repair shop for four-plus years — so I know what a car is actually worth, when a repair is worth making and when it isn't, when it's time to replace instead of fix, and how a dealership's sales department really works from the other side of the counter. On the home side, my wife and I have bought and sold multiple houses ourselves, mistakes included, and learned more from those than any of the wins.
HowAffordable is that experience turned into a set of tools instead of keeping it to myself — built from years of watching people overpay, over-finance, and under-plan, for the next person walking into that same decision. Have a guide idea, or think we got something wrong? I'd genuinely like to hear it — reach out.
HowAffordable.com is owned and operated by 716 Ventures LLC, an independent, ad-supported site. We are not a lender, and we don't sell leads, sell your data, or accept payment to change a calculator's math. See our methodology for exactly how each number is calculated.
Tell us about a bug, a number that looks off, a guide topic you want covered, or a local business interested in advertising — a real person reads every message.
Anything about how the site works, a calculator's assumptions, or the Data Hub.
contact@howaffordable.comA wrong rate, a formula that looks off, or a broken link — the fastest way to get it fixed.
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