Terms of Use
Plain version: this site gives you estimates from public data. It is not advice, it may be wrong, and decisions you make with it are yours. The formal version follows.
Last updated 2026-09-06. By using AffordWhat (the “Site”) you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.
1. What this Site is
AffordWhat is a free, independent, informational tool that estimates mortgage affordability from publicly available data. It is published for general educational purposes only.
2. Not advice, and no professional relationship
Nothing on the Site is financial, mortgage, tax, legal, investment or real-estate advice. We are not a lender, mortgage broker, mortgage originator, real-estate broker, financial adviser, tax adviser or fiduciary, and we are not licensed as any of those. Using the Site creates no advisory, fiduciary, agency or professional relationship of any kind.
Nothing here is an offer, commitment, solicitation or pre-approval to lend, and no result the Site produces should be treated as one. Consult a licensed mortgage professional, and obtain a written Loan Estimate, before making any decision.
3. Not affiliated with anyone
We are not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Housing Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Zillow Group, or any bank, credit union, lender or brokerage. Loan program names are used descriptively to identify widely available product types. All trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
4. Estimates only — accuracy is not guaranteed
Every figure on the Site is an estimate produced by applying general formulas to third-party data. Actual mortgage pricing depends on your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, reserves, employment history, property type, occupancy, appraised value, loan-level price adjustments and the individual lender — none of which the Site knows.
In particular, and without limiting the above:
- Interest rates are hardcoded survey averages as of 5 September 2026. They change continuously and are almost certainly different now.
- Home values are Zillow Home Value Index estimates for an area, not appraisals, listings or sale prices of any particular property.
- Property tax rates are county-wide effective rates derived from medians, not your parcel’s assessment.
- Insurance figures are statewide averages, not quotes.
- Mortgage insurance assumes strong credit and will differ materially at lower scores.
- Take-home pay uses federal brackets and FICA only, with the standard deduction and no retirement contributions.
Data may be incomplete, outdated, or wrong. We do not warrant its accuracy, completeness, timeliness or fitness for any purpose.
5. Provided “as is”
THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.
6. Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, AFFORDWHAT AND ITS OPERATOR SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, SAVINGS, DATA, OPPORTUNITY OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SITE SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of certain damages, so some of the above may not apply to you. Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud or for any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
7. Your responsibility
You are solely responsible for decisions you make, and for verifying any figure independently with a qualified professional before relying on it. Do not use the Site as the sole basis for a financial decision.
8. Acceptable use
You may use the Site for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not scrape, bulk-download, mirror or republish the Site’s data as your own product; interfere with its operation or security; use automated means that impose unreasonable load; or use the Site for any unlawful purpose. Third-party data remains subject to its own providers’ terms.
9. Intellectual property
Site design, text and code are owned by the operator. Underlying data is owned by its respective providers and used under their public terms with attribution.
10. Third-party links and advertising
The Site links to third-party websites and may display third-party advertising. We do not control, endorse, or accept responsibility for third-party content, products, services or privacy practices. An advertisement is not a recommendation. We receive no compensation from any lender for any referral, and we do not sell leads. See Privacy for how advertising data is handled.
11. Fair housing
We support fair housing. The Site does not consider, and must not be used to consider, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, or any other protected characteristic in any housing or lending decision.
12. Changes and availability
We may modify, suspend or discontinue the Site or these terms at any time. Continued use after changes are posted constitutes acceptance. The “last updated” date above reflects the current version.
13. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located there, and you consent to that jurisdiction and venue.
14. Severability
If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect and the unenforceable provision is modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable.