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How much does it take to buy a home?
Mortgage site HSH.com has updated its estimate of how much annual income a household would need to buy a home in major metropolitan areas in the US, according to third-quarter 2016 data.
In Q3, mortgage rates fell across the board for the second quarter in a row, which offset small increases in home prices in all but four major markets, making it more affordable to buy a home in the majority of major US cities.
However, a shortage of homes on the market means that if mortgage rates were to rise, buyers would find themselves in an expensive, tight spot.
HSH.com looked at median home prices from the National Association of Realtors. It took into account interest rates for common 30-year fixed-rate mortgages and property taxes and insurance costs to figure out how much money it would take to pay a median-priced home's mortgage, taxes, and insurance in each city, and how much you'd have to earn to afford it.
HSH.com emphasizes that this is only the base cost of owning a home, without taking into account maintenance and other incidentals.
The site also calculated how it would change the salary needed to buy a home if a buyer were to put 10% down instead of the recommended 20%. No matter where you are, putting down less makes things more expensive — you can visit HSH.com to see both numbers.
Salaries are listed from lowest to highest needed and are rounded to the nearest $500.
Population: 1,409,000
Median home price: $212,300
Monthly mortgage payment: $1,127
Salary needed to buy: $48,500
Population: 255,483
Median home price: $229,900
Monthly mortgage payment: $1,162
Salary needed to buy: $50,000
Population: 407,207
Median home price: $240,300
Monthly mortgage payment: $1,181
Salary needed to buy: $50,500
