Home Buying Basics
How Much House Can I Afford on a $60,000 Salary?
On a $60,000 salary, most buyers can afford about $160,000 to $275,000 depending on debts, down payment and loan type. See the math and how to stretch it.
Mortgage questions, answered without the jargon.
Morxavelintaq breaks down home loans, rates, refinancing and equity into guides you can read on the couch and act on at the closing table.
Popular: Removing PMI FHA vs. conventional Refinance break-even
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Six neighborhoods of guides, organized by where you are in the homeownership journey.
- Home Buying Basics Budgeting, pre-approval, earnest money and every step from first showing to closing day. 8 guides
- Loan Types FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, jumbo and ARM loans compared in plain English. 8 guides
- Rates & Closing Costs Points, PMI, APR, escrow and the line items on your Loan Estimate. 8 guides
- Refinancing Break-even math, streamline programs and when a new loan actually pays off. 8 guides
- Credit & Qualifying Credit scores, debt-to-income ratios and what underwriters look for. 8 guides
- Home Equity & Payoff HELOCs, home equity loans, reverse mortgages and paying your home off sooner. 8 guides
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Home Equity & Payoff
How to Calculate Your Home Equity (and How Much You Can Borrow)
Home equity is your home's value minus what you owe. Learn how to estimate value, calculate loan-to-value, and figure out how much you can borrow.
Home Buying Basics
First-Time Home Buyer Checklist: 12 Steps From Savings to Keys
A 12-step first-time home buyer checklist: credit, savings, pre-approval, house hunting, inspection, appraisal and closing day, with timelines.
Loan Types
VA Loan Funding Fee: How Much It Costs and Who Is Exempt
The VA funding fee ranges from 0.5% to 3.3% of the loan depending on down payment and prior use. See the fee table, who is exempt, and whether to finance it.
Rates & Closing Costs
Closing Costs Explained: A Line-by-Line Guide to Your Closing Disclosure
Understand every page of your Closing Disclosure, from loan terms to cash to close, which fees can change, and what to check during your three-day review.
Refinancing
Cash-Out Refinance vs. HELOC: Which Is Cheaper?
Compare a cash-out refinance and a HELOC for tapping home equity: rates, costs, payment impact and when each makes sense if your first-mortgage rate is low.
Credit & Qualifying
Debt-to-Income Ratio for a Mortgage: How Lenders Calculate It
How lenders calculate front-end and back-end debt-to-income ratios, which debts count, limits for FHA, VA, USDA and conventional loans, and how to lower your DTI.
How we write every guide
We're an independent publisher. No lender pays us to rank their products, and we don't collect loan applications. Our job is to help you ask better questions before you sign anything.
Read our editorial policy- Checked against the source
- Loan limits, fees and program rules are checked against HUD, the VA, USDA, the CFPB, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines.
- Written for real budgets
- Examples use realistic prices and show the math, so you can swap in your own numbers.
- Updated when rules change
- Mortgage limits reset every January. We revisit affected guides and note the update date at the top.