Mortgage in the US - Compare Rates, Learn & Save

Mortgage decisions are among the most consequential financial commitments most people make in the United States. Affordability depends not only on the home price and interest rate, but also on debt-to-income ratio (DTI), down payment, property taxes, homeowners insurance, HOA fees, mortgage insurance, and lender underwriting standards.

This hub brings together calculators, affordability explainers, and DTI-focused articles so you can slow down, test realistic scenarios, and understand what a lender will actually evaluate before you sign anything.

Key concepts before applying

• Debt-to-Income Ratio (DTI) — lenders compare your monthly debt payments to your gross monthly income. Most conventional loans cap total DTI around 43–45%, though programs and lender overlays vary. Read about maximum DTI for mortgage and the difference between front-end vs back-end DTI.
• APR vs interest rate — APR includes interest plus most loan fees, giving a more complete cost picture. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) requires APR disclosure on the official Loan Estimate.
• Down payment — affects loan-to-value ratio, mortgage insurance requirements, and total interest cost over the life of the loan.
• PITI — Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance. The full monthly housing cost most lenders use to evaluate affordability, plus HOA when applicable.
• Reserves and credit profile — beyond DTI, lenders evaluate cash reserves, credit score, employment history, property type, and program-specific overlays.

Use the Mortgage Affordability Calculator

The Mortgage Affordability Calculator uses your income, debts, down payment, rate, taxes, insurance, and HOA assumptions to estimate a practical affordability range. Approval depends on full underwriting, credit profile, reserves, property type, and local costs. Read our Methodology for the assumptions behind the estimate.

Topics covered in this hub

The articles below explain DTI in depth, the gap between front-end and back-end ratios, what lenders use to qualify a borrower, and how to estimate a realistic price range before talking to lenders. For car and auto loan decisions, see our car finance hub.

How we approach this content

Loanyzer treats mortgage and home affordability as YMYL educational content. We prefer official and primary sources — CFPB, Federal Reserve, FTC, HUD, IRS, and lender disclosures — and we explain assumptions and limitations rather than promising outcomes. Read our AI Content Disclosure, Disclaimer, and Corrections Policy for more about how we build and review this material.