Top Agent America

Top Agent America / Calculators / Buyer affordability

The price your income actually supports

Most affordability calculators forget Michigan property taxes and mortgage insurance, which is how buyers end up shopping a price they cannot carry. This one does not.

Income and debts

Everything a lender can document.

Car loans, student loans, minimum credit card payments, child support. Not utilities or groceries.

The share of gross monthly income a lender lets you spend on all debt including the new house. Common programs land near 43 to 50 percent depending on credit and reserves. Ask your lender for yours.

The loan

Use the rate you have actually been quoted.

Applies while you are below 20 percent equity. Your insurer sets it from credit score and down payment, so use your quote.

Carrying costs

The median across the 40 cities we publish is 1.85% of purchase price, and the real range is 0.99% to 3.11%. Open your city page for its actual rate by school district rather than guessing.

A placeholder. Replace it with your own quote.

Michigan detail worth knowing: taxable value uncaps when a home changes hands, so the tax bill the current owner pays is usually not the bill you will pay. Budget from the assessed value, never from the seller's bill.

Ready to see what that price buys in your city?

Send us your number and a licensed local agent will tell you what it actually gets you on your streets, and whether stretching or holding back makes more sense in your market.

We send your figures to a licensed agent in your city and text you back. Free, no obligation.

Questions people ask

Why is my number lower than other calculators show?

Because most of them quietly ignore property tax, mortgage insurance, and your existing debt. A payment you cannot carry is not affordability, and finding that out at the closing table is expensive.

What does taxable value uncapping mean for me?

Michigan caps annual growth in a home's taxable value while one owner keeps it. When it sells, that cap comes off and taxable value resets to roughly half of market value. The new bill can be meaningfully higher than the seller's, which is why we ask for a rate rather than copying their tax bill.

Is this a preapproval?

No. It is arithmetic on the numbers you entered. Get a preapproval from a lender before you write an offer, and we can introduce you to one if you need it.

Is this really free?

Yes. Buyers and sellers never pay us anything. When a deal closes, the agent pays a standard referral fee out of their own commission. Your agreement with your agent is exactly the same as if you had found them yourself.

Do I have to work with the agent you match?

No. The match is an introduction, not a contract. If the fit is wrong, tell us and we will introduce someone else, or you can simply walk away.