What income do I need to afford a $500K house?
Many factors impact how much you can afford to spend on a house.
So much about buying a home is about timing. Knowing the time is right for you personally is more important than trying to time the housing market.
— Andrew Dehan
Andrew Dehan is a writer for Bankrate’s Home Lending team. He has been writing about real estate, mortgages and personal finance since 2020 when he began working as a writer and editor with Rocket Mortgage. He has since been published by Forbes Advisor, Business Insider and SmartAsset. He graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Writing.
As a homeowner himself, Andrew is passionate about writing content that empowers people to make large financial decisions. The experience of buying a home highlighted to him how crucial clear and useful information is during the process. Whether it was researching the right lender, choosing whether to buy mortgage points or understanding changing interest rates, Andrew dove in to learn more. He brought this passion as a writer to Bankrate in 2023, where he writes articles to help people understand mortgages and the process of buying a home.
Andrew lives in metro Detroit with his wife, two kids and two dogs. He enjoys problem-solving, nature and music. He feels most in his element when he’s learning, writing or building a fire.
In a high rate environment, an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) can be a good option for you, especially if you’re buying a starter home. These mortgages come with an introductory rate that’s lower than a fixed-rate mortgage, but adjust upward after three to 10 years. If you’re planning on moving or refinancing before this period is up, you can use the low rate of an ARM and avoid the higher adjusting rates. Just be sure to shop around and read the fine print.
So much about buying a home is about timing. Knowing the time is right for you personally is more important than trying to time the housing market.
— Andrew Dehan
Many factors impact how much you can afford to spend on a house.
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