Debt-to-Income Ratio
Lenders use a ratio called "debt to income" to determine the most you can pay monthly after your other monthly debts have been paid.
About the qualifying ratio
In general, underwriting for conventional mortgage loans requires a qualifying ratio of 28/36. An FHA loan will usually allow for a higher debt load, reflected in a higher (29/41) ratio.
For these ratios, the first number is the percentage of your gross monthly income that can go toward housing costs. This ratio is figured on your total payment, including homeowners' insurance, homeowners' dues, PMI - everything that constitutes the payment.
The second number is the maximum percentage of your gross monthly income that should be applied to housing costs and recurring debt. Recurring debt includes things like auto/boat payments, child support and credit card payments.
For example:
28/36 (Conventional)
- Gross monthly income of $4,500 x .28 = $1,260 can be applied to housing
- Gross monthly income of $4,500 x .36 = $1,620 can be applied to recurring debt plus housing expenses
With a 29/41 (FHA) qualifying ratio
- Gross monthly income of $4,500 x .29 = $1,305 can be applied to housing
- Gross monthly income of $4,500 x .41 = $1,845 can be applied to recurring debt plus housing expenses
If you'd like to calculate pre-qualification numbers with your own financial data, please use this Mortgage Qualification Calculator.
Guidelines Only
Remember these are just guidelines. We will be thrilled to pre-qualify you to help you figure out how large a mortgage loan you can afford.
VALoansMN.com can answer questions about these ratios and many others. Give us a call at (612) 240-9922.