Mortgage Based on Income

One of the Most Important Qualifying Factors When Purchasing a Home

Your income is one of your most important qualifications when it comes to getting a mortgage to buy a home.Lenders usually like to get their money back, so they want to make sure you have adequate income to keep up with your mortgage payments. When lenders evaluate your income, one of the most important measures of risk they use is your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI.

Debt-to-income calculator

Recurring monthly debtPeriodic debts which will not be paid off within a short period of time (up to 10 months) such as car loans, credit card payments…	Gross monthly incomeMoney, goods and property received during the year before adjustments, deductions or exemptions. The received value of barter system should also be included if it exists.	Debt to income ratioThe percentage of earnings before credit, that are used to pay off obligated loans (car loan, student loan, credit card balance…). There are two ratios important to lenders: – Front-end ratio: percentage of monthly pre-tax earnings spent on house payments (including principals, taxes, insurance, interest) – Back-end ratio: also includes all other borrowers debts.

What is Debt-to-Income?

Your debt-to-income ratio is simply the percentage of your monthly gross income that goes to property expenses and loan payments. Lenders will typically include mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowners insurance, HOA dues, and any debt payments for auto loans, credit cards, credit lines, etc., in your DTI.



If you have a low DTI, you are a much better credit risk because you have extra cash flow left over at the end of the month to absorb unexpected expenses. On the other hand, if you have a high DTI, lenders consider you much riskier because it’s more likely you will miss a mortgage payment if you get into a financial bind. The maximum debt-to-income ratios allowed today’s mortgage marketplaces are 50% for FHA-insured financing and 45% for conventional Fannie Mae financing. It is sometimes possible to exceed these ratios, but usually only if you have other compensating factors such as stellar credit or substantial assets in the bank.

How DTI Impacts Purchase Price?

If you’re purchasing a home, your DTI can have a direct impact on how many homes you can qualify for. A more expensive home will typically come with a larger loan amount, which of course means a larger mortgage payment.



There are home loans available which can help you to augment your income if you are struggling with medical bills and other expenses after your retirement. Those loans are called reverse-mortgages, and they work by letting you spend part of your home’s equity as cash and then pay that spent equity back at a later time. You must apply for such a loan through a reverse mortgage lender. Your lender will establish loan terms with you, including the exact amount of money you can borrow. However, you should be aware that interest rates on these kinds of loans can be quite high before you consider signing up for one. If you want to qualify for the most home you possibly can (though it’s usually advisable to buy what you can comfortably afford), it’s essential that your DTI be as low as possible. Make sure to pay off all credit cards, student loans, auto loans, etc., before you start shopping for a mortgage. This will not only make it much easier to qualify for the home you really want, but it will make homeownership more enjoyable because you can more easily cover the payment.