Your monthly payment for a $300,000 mortgage and a 30-year loan term could range from $1,798 to $2,201, depending on your interest rate and other factors. Learn more about the upfront and long-term costs of a home loan.
But with nearly two-thirds of retirement-age Americans having paid off their mortgages, it means that the average age they have gotten rid of that debt is likely in their early 60s. Stats from 538.com, for example, suggest the age is around 63.
If you make $70k a year, you can afford to spend about $1,633 on a monthly mortgage payment — as long as you have less than $500 in other monthly debt payments. You may be able to afford a $302,000 home in a low cost of living area. You may be able to afford a $247,000 home in a high cost of living area.
As noted above, your estimated monthly payment for a $500K mortgage will be $3,360.16, assuming a 30-year loan term and an interest rate of 7.1%. But this payment could range between $2,600 and $4,900 depending on your term and interest rate.
At a 7.00% fixed interest rate, a 30-year $100,000 mortgage may cost you around $665 per month, while a 15-year mortgage has a monthly payment of around $899.
The lowest average mortgage rates on record came about when the Federal Reserve lowered the federal funds rate in 2020 and 2021 in response to the pandemic. As a result, the weekly average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 2.65%, while the average 15-year, fixed-rate mortgage sunk to 2.10%.
It's possible that rates will one day go back down to 3%, though if current trends hold that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
The 28% rule, 35/45 model and 25% rule are common ways of calculating how much a person can afford to pay toward their mortgage each month, according to Chase Bank. Under the first rule, a homeowner would aim to spend 28% or less of their monthly gross income on their mortgage payment.
The average mortgage payment is $2,715 on a 30-year fixed mortgage and $3,552 on a 15-year fixed mortgage. The median payment, a more accurate measure, is $2,617, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
To comfortably afford a $500,000 house, you'll likely need an annual income between $125,000 to $160,000, depending on your specific financial situation and the terms of your mortgage. Remember, just because you can qualify for a loan doesn't mean you should stretch your budget to the maximum.
Here's what a $300,000 monthly mortgage payment would be at today's rates, accounting for the conventional 20% down payment ($60,000) and excluding homeowners insurance and taxes: 15-year mortgage at 5.86%: $2,007.15 per month. 30-year mortgage at 6.44%: $1,507.51 per month.
You can buy a $300,000 house with only $9,000 down when using a conventional mortgage, which is the lowest down payment permitted, unless you qualify for a zero-down-payment VA or USDA loan. Different lenders have different rules, but typically they require a 620 credit score for conventional loan approval.
According to the 28/36 rule, you should spend no more than 28% of your gross monthly income on housing and no more than 36% on all debts. Housing costs can include: Your monthly mortgage payment. Homeowners Insurance. Private mortgage insurance.
If you make $70,000 a year, your hourly salary would be $33.65.
"If you want to find financial freedom, you need to retire all debt — and yes that includes your mortgage," the personal finance author and co-host of ABC's "Shark Tank" tells CNBC Make It. You should aim to have everything paid off, from student loans to credit card debt, by age 45, O'Leary says.
There's no age limit for getting or refinancing a mortgage. Thanks to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, seniors have the right to fair and equal treatment from mortgage lenders.