Enter your assumptions once. Connect the local market, renting, monthly ownership costs, cash to buy and a savings timeline.
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Full monthly ownership cost$2,928
Cash target including reserves$62,085
Monthly room after buying$472
Months to savings target62
01 · Market context
Start with a place, or your own price.
Use a listing price below. You can add local market context later.
The first automatic source check is pending. Saved plans keep their original market snapshot until you choose to refresh it. Data is monthly and may be revised.
02 · Ownership & your budget
See the whole monthly cost.
Saved example dated 2026-09-03. This rate is not a quote for your loan program or credit profile. Your take-home income should be after taxes and payroll deductions; living costs exclude housing and the debt payments entered separately.
Initial monthly ownership breakdown
Principal & interest
$2,035
Property tax
$321
Home insurance
$150
HOA
$0
Mortgage insurance (PMI)
$131
Upkeep allowance
$292
Total ownership cost
$2,928
Take-home cash after ownership, living costs and debts
$472
Gross debt-to-income estimate: 39.2%. This ratio excludes upkeep and living costs. PMI is an initial estimate; cancellation rules and lender terms determine when it ends.
No eligibility or approval is implied. FHA, VA and USDA eligibility, minimum down payment, property rules and loan limits need lender verification. Read the full mortgage program methodology →
03 · Compare the alternatives
Would renting leave you better off?
The comparison uses the same price, loan, fees, insurance and upkeep you entered above.
Renting ends ahead on these assumptions
Buying: modeled ending wealth$118,833
Renting: modeled ending wealth$159,680
Difference in buying’s favor-$40,847
At the end of 7 years, selling costs and remaining mortgage debt are deducted from the buyer’s equity. Both paths invest monthly cost differences at the assumed return.
Initial mortgage insurance is held constant through the loan term here; actual cancellation and balance-based fee reductions can change this comparison. Common reserves are excluded from both wealth totals. Rent deposits, tax effects and future borrowing changes are excluded. Home price and investment growth are assumptions, not forecasts.
04 · Cash & timing
What would you need to set aside?
Spend-at-purchase cash and money kept in reserve
Down payment
$35,000
Purchase closing costs
$10,500
Program fee paid in cash
$0
Moving / setup / work
$1,500
Spent at purchase
$47,000
Household reserve retained
$15,085
Total savings target
$62,085
Remaining gap today
$37,085
Monthly saving needed for chosen deadline
$1,545
Projected savings at deadline
$39,400
Reserves cover 3 months of ownership, living costs and debt payments. They are added once, kept after purchase, and not spent at closing. Contributions arrive at month-end; savings returns are hypothetical and exclude taxes.
Room to save while renting: $1,580 per month, before optional spending not entered here. At your chosen contribution, the target is reached in 62 months.
05 · What could change this answer?
Give the plan a harder day.
Monthly room after a 20% income drop-$628
Monthly saving needed with repair added$1,962
Savings after 30 months$43,000
These are separate scenarios. Income stress reduces gross and take-home income by the same percentage while holding expenses fixed. Repairs add to the cash target. Delay adds saving months while holding home price and purchase costs fixed; it does not assume rent is free or prices stay fixed in reality.
Which of these changes moves the monthly cost most?
One change at a time, compared with your current plan
Illustrative change
Extra monthly ownership cost
Rate rises 2 percentage points
$434
Annual upkeep rises 1 percentage point
$292
Home insurance costs 25% more
$38
Ranked only for these chosen shocks, with rates capped at 30%, annual insurance at $100,000 and upkeep at 20%. This is not a probability estimate or a general ranking of risk.
06 · Your next steps
My homebuying plan
Prepared from the assumptions below · Planning method dated September 7, 2026 · losttofound.org/homebuying-plan
Check whether the remaining $472 per month covers irregular spending and goals you have not entered.
Build the remaining $37,085 cash target. Your 24-month goal needs $1,545 per month; compare that with your $1,580 renting-budget capacity.
The income-drop scenario produces a monthly shortfall. Decide how you would cover it.
Revisit renting versus buying with flat home prices and a shorter stay before committing.
Decision summary for this set of assumptions
Cash spent at purchase
$47,000
Reserve kept after purchase
$15,085
Cash gap today
$37,085
Monthly saving needed
$1,545
Buying minus renting: ending wealth
-$40,847
Monthly room under income stress
-$628
Additional immediate repair assumption
$10,000
Questions and documents to take into the next conversation
0 of 6 reviewed. Check marks record your review, not independent verification.
Assumptions captured with this plan
Financial inputs and comparison assumptions
Home price ($)
350000
Down payment (%)
10
Interest rate (%)
6.71
Loan term (years)
30
Loan program
conventional
VA funding fee status
first
Finance upfront program fee
Yes
Property tax (% of price / year)
1.1
Home insurance ($ / year)
1800
HOA ($ / month)
0
PMI (% of base loan / year)
0.5
Upkeep (% of price / year)
1
Closing costs (% of price)
3
Moving, setup and immediate work ($)
1500
Household reserve (months)
3
Available savings ($)
25000
Gross household income ($ / year)
90000
Debt payments ($ / month)
300
Quoted upfront fee ($)
0
Quoted monthly insurance / fee ($)
0
Take-home income ($ / month)
5500
Nonhousing living costs ($ / month)
1800
Rent ($ / month)
1800
Renter insurance ($ / month)
20
Saving contribution ($ / month)
600
Purchase target (months)
24
Savings APY (%)
0
Years before moving / selling
7
Annual rent growth (%)
3
Annual home price change (%)
3
Assumed annual investment return (%)
4
Annual tax, insurance and HOA growth (%)
3
Selling costs (% of exit value)
6
Income decline stress (%)
20
Immediate repair stress ($)
10000
Purchase delay stress (months)
6
Sources & what remains uncertain
Saved example dated 2026-09-03. No market snapshot selected. Saved or imported provenance is retained as supplied; compare it with the publisher before acting.
Planning estimates, not a loan approval, rate lock, appraisal or personalized financial recommendation. Inspection findings, local taxes, insurance quotes, loan eligibility and lender disclosures still need verification.