How Much House Can I Afford in Naples, Florida?

Initiated by the pandemic, more and more people are still moving towards the southern states in America. Ranked to have the sixth-highest average income in America, Naples is one of the top destination areas reporting massive population influxes in the past two years.

No matter where you might be coming from, the first question that often pops up before moving is how much house you can afford in Naples. While many factors are involved in determining how much house you can afford, here is everything you need to know when figuring out how much house you can afford in Naples.

Important Considerations

1. Income
Your income is one of the main things that come to mind when discussing affordability. As a rule of thumb, it is always best to ensure that you can comfortably afford at least three times your yearly pay on a property in Naples. For example, if your annual salary is $200,000, you should be able to afford a house that goes for $600,000.

2. Debts
After income comes debts. Ideally, we only get to spend our income right after taxes. But keep in mind that part of your paycheck will go to monthly debt payments for any outstanding loans you might have.

It is an important factor to consider as it essentially influences your job stability and overall credit score. To understand how your debts compare to income, you will have to determine your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio.

It is a crucial figure lenders often use to estimate borrowing power. Typically, 28% of your gross income can go towards the property purchase, and not more than 36% can go to debt payments.

The $200,000 annual income example suggests that your gross monthly income is about $16,666. Then, let’s assume that your gross monthly debts only consist of a $400 car loan and $200 student loan payments, totalling about $600.

With that accounting for about 3.6% of your average monthly income, you can now comfortably set aside 28% or rather $4,666 for mortgage payments. Note that qualifying to pay a particular amount does not necessarily mean that you should.

It would be smart if you choose to settle for a lower mortgage payment and strive to save more money as you can.

3. Down Payment
Down payment refers to the initial deposit you will have to make on your dream home. It is an important factor as it helps minimize risks to your lender and possibly qualify you for very low-interest rates.

When determining how much house you can afford in Naples, it would be best to consider putting down at least 20% of the buying price. But considering the overall economic downturn caused by the pandemic, you should be able to put down at least 3% depending on your mortgage loan type.

However, you should note that a down payment of less than 20% automatically means that you will have to pay more monthly mortgage fees. Mortgage lenders often use private mortgage insurance (PMI) to mitigate financial risks for low down payment cases, and this usually costs 1% of the mortgage loan amount each year. But you can easily get rid of it once your home equity gets to 20%.

For example, if your dream property in Naples costs $450,000 and you put a down payment of 5% for a sum of $22,500. The remaining loan amount will be $427,500 at a PMI cost of less than $4,500, accounting for a monthly PMI of about $375.

4. Interest Rate
As the main factor that directly affects loans, your interest rate is the final key factor to consider when figuring out how much house you can afford in Naples. Interest rates are usually an amount-specific percentage that your lender will charge your principal.

Remember that these rates usually vary between loan types and financial profiles. For instance, a 30-year loan often features higher interest rates than a 15-year one, and fixed-rate mortgage loans often come with higher initial interest rates than adjustable-rate loans.

Moreover, this is further influenced by your overall credit score because lenders often use it to offset potential financial risks. Just remember that lower credit scores often attract higher interest rates.

But according to Realtor, you will need to have a credit score of at least 740 to qualify for lower interest rates in Naples, Florida. With such a credit profile, a 15-year fixed mortgage loan features a 2.48% interest rate, whereas a similar loan type for 30 years has 3.23%.

As you can see, interest rates often play a key role in shaping your ability to afford and buy residential property. Furthermore, understanding its true implications on demand for housing will greatly inform your buying decisions during market changes.

Over to You

Besides being a basic requirement, buying a home is one of the most significant decisions one can make in life. With Naples ranked as one of the best destinations to move to, you can use the above-discussed factors to figure out how much house you can afford in Naples before choosing to buy and move. Better yet, call (786) 507-5397 or email info@woodruffpropertymgmt.com to get professional assistance from our top-rated Naples-based property managers.