Most mortgage calculators tell you the largest loan a bank will approve. This one tells you what that payment costs you every month, whether a lender would actually sign off, and how it compares to what homes in your town really sell for.
Where you’re buying
Size the budget
Your income and the lender’s debt-to-income ceiling set the payment.
Your income
$/mo
All-in: principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA and any mortgage insurance.
$
Still needed — it tells you whether a lender would approve that payment.
$
Car loans, student loans, minimum credit-card payments, child support.
The loan
%
%
Under 20% adds monthly mortgage insurance.
%
%
The house
%
$/yr
Statewide average, scaled for a typical home. Get a real quote before you commit.
$/mo
Where you should land
Target purchase price—
Three ways to size it
Where that lands
Conservative to stretch rangeRecommended targetTypical home value
What this assumes, and where it comes from
Method
Price is solved so principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA and mortgage insurance together hit the monthly budget exactly.
Funding fees are financed into the loan, which is how nearly everyone pays them — so the loan exceeds the price on zero-down programs.
Cash to close adds about 2.5% for lender, title, escrow and prepaid items on top of the down payment. It excludes reserves, which lenders also want to see.
Price is capped at a 45% total debt-to-income ratio (41% on VA, the residual-income benchmark), so other debts move the number.
Property tax — median real-estate tax divided by median home value, from Census ACS 5-year tables B25103 and B25077.
Loan limits — FHFA conforming limits, published annually per county.
Rates — Freddie Mac PMMS weekly survey. These are no-points averages; a quote including discount points will look lower than it is.
Known limits
Insurance is a state-level average, not a quote. It varies enormously with age, roof, and wildfire or flood exposure.
Mortgage insurance rates depend heavily on credit score. The 0.45% default assumes strong credit; below 700 it can double.
Zillow re-estimates its whole history each month, so values shift slightly between refreshes.
Take-home pay uses federal brackets and FICA only, with the standard deduction and no retirement contributions.
What this deliberately doesn’t do
Collect your name, email, or any personal information. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Refer you to a lender, or take a fee from one.
Show you the maximum a bank would approve as though it were a recommendation.
Estimates only — not financial advice, not a pre-approval, not a rate
lock, and not an offer to lend. Actual pricing depends on your credit score, reserves, property
type and the individual lender. Rates shown are survey averages as of 5 September 2026 and change
weekly. Get a written Loan Estimate before you decide anything.
Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, the Federal Housing Administration, HUD, Zillow, or any lender, bank or credit
union. Program names are used descriptively; all trademarks belong to their owners. Home value
data from Zillow Research, used with
attribution and without endorsement.