Buying a home is the likely the single largest investment for most of us, and we should take care to find the ideal home that fits our budget and is located in a neighbourhood that suits our lifestyle needs. What we think we can afford and what the bank thinks we can afford are often two different things. Everyone's lifestyle may not be the same, but the banks have established some general affordability guidelines. Below you will find some methods you can use and some methods the banks use - together.

To estimate a realistic purchase price, here is a good rule of thumb.

• Determine how much you are prepared to put as a Down Payment.
• Calculate the Estimated Affordable Mortgage: multiply your total gross (before tax) family income by 2.5
• Add the two amounts and you have a good idea what price you can afford.

Ex.: You have $10,000 for your down payment. Your gross income is $60,000, and when multiplied by 2.5%, your estimated affordable mortgage is $150,000. With your $10,000, your realistic purchase price is $160,000.

Now that you can estimate the price, you should also look at what it will cost to carry the property. Another good and simple rule of thumb is the "3% rule". To estimate the monthly carrying costs, multiply the purchase price you determined above by 3% and then divide this by amount by 12.

Ex.: Using the above purchase price for our example, we multiply the $160,000 by 3% and then divide this amount by 12 to get the estimated monthly carrying costs $400.

Most lenders rely on two basic formulas as a simple and reliable method to determine the maximum mortgage they will approve you for. These are the Gross Debt Service (G.D.S.) and Total Debt Service (T.D.S.) Ratios.

Most lenders will approve using up to 32% of the total gross (before tax) income for the mortgage principal and interest, property taxes, estimated heating costs (sometimes all of these referred to as PITH), plus 50% of any maintenance fees. To calculate your maximum mortgage, multiply the total gross income by 32%, then subtract an estimated property tax portion, heating, and 50% of any maintenance fees. What you are left with is the mortgage payment (P&I).

Most lenders will approve using up to 40% of the total gross (before tax) income towards the mortgage, property taxes, estimated heating cost, and 50% of any maintenance fees PLUS any other debts and obligations. These debts and obligations could be car loans, lines of credit, credit cards with outstanding balances, personal loans, auto leases, furniture and appliance loans, etc.

A mortgage specialist at MortgageFreeFaster.com will be pleased to work out your specific qualification. Please remember that the above ratios are not the only thing considered in the approval process. I good credit rating, together with the amount of down payment and employment stability are important details. Since we work with many different lenders who offer lot of different products, and knowing their particular guidelines, we are your one-stop-shop for approval.