{"id":333,"date":"2026-10-13T04:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T04:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/?p=333"},"modified":"2026-10-13T12:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T12:03:48","slug":"home-affordability-report-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much House Can You Afford? (Home Affordability Report 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A median-income household needs 6.4 years to save 10% down and 11.3 years for 20% on the <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/housing-market\">$429,100 median home<\/a>. At the U.S. personal savings rate, 20% down takes an <strong>estimated 43 years<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We modeled home affordability at four salary levels ($50K, $75K, $100K, and $150K) using the 28% housing-cost rule and the 7.28% 30-year mortgage rate <sup>[3]<\/sup>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We then calculated how long it takes to save a down payment plus closing costs in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and paired the results with Houzeo buyer inquiry data from January to September 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to buy a home? Get a job, save for almost a decade, and pick your ZIP code carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-houzeo-takeaways-list takeawaysSec\"><p class=\"headKeySec\" id=\"findings\"><strong>Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"listing\"><li><strong>$144,500 income needed:<\/strong> Buying a median U.S.-priced home at $429,100, with 10% down, requires an estimated $144,500 a year in household income at 7.28% <sup>[3]<\/sup>, 65% more than the median household earns.<\/li><li><strong>No state passes:<\/strong> Under our model, in all 50 states and D.C., the median household earns less than it needs to comfortably buy the median-priced home with 10% down.<\/li><li><strong>11.3 years to save 20%:<\/strong> A median-income household saving 10% of its gross pay needs 11.3 years to save 20% down plus closing costs on the median home. With 10% down, it takes 6.4 years.<\/li><li><strong>$50K income buys nothing typical:<\/strong> On a $50,000 salary, the typical home is out of reach in every state under the 28% rule <sup>[5]<\/sup>. At $75K, the typical home is out of reach in every state; at $100K, it\u2019s affordable in 11 states; at $150K, 33.<\/li><li><strong>17 years in California vs. 7.2 in Iowa:<\/strong> Saving 20% down plus closing costs on a typical home takes 17.1 years in California and 16.6 in Hawaii, versus 7.2 years in Iowa and 7.3 in Nebraska <sup>[5][6]<\/sup>.<\/li><li><strong>Credit is a bigger hurdle than many expect:<\/strong> 37% of buyers who requested purchase pre-approval through Houzeo in 2026 reported a credit score below 620, the minimum Fannie Mae sets for manually underwritten conventional loans. <sup>[7]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"house-affordability\" class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>How Much House Can You Afford?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your salary determines more than your paycheck. It determines how much home your monthly budget can support.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We modeled two affordability scenarios: a 28% housing-cost threshold, which we use as the comfortable scenario, and a 36% threshold, which represents a stretch scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both scenarios assume a 30-year mortgage at 7.28%, with property taxes, homeowners insurance, and PMI included where applicable. The savings calculations assume 10% down, 3% closing costs, and savings equal to 10% of gross household income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"28-percent-rule\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>At the 28% Rule<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Annual household income<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Comfortable home price<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Monthly housing cost<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Years to save for comfortable home<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Years to save for $429,100 median-priced home<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$50,000<\/td><td>$148,000<\/td><td>$1,167<\/td><td><strong>3.9 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>11.2 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$75,000<\/td><td>$223,000<\/td><td>$1,750<\/td><td><strong>3.9 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>7.4 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$87,460<\/td><td>$260,000<\/td><td>$2,041<\/td><td><strong>3.9 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>6.4 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$100,000<\/td><td>$297,000<\/td><td>$2,333<\/td><td><strong>3.9 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>5.6 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$150,000<\/td><td>$445,000<\/td><td>$3,500<\/td><td><strong>3.9 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>3.7 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>All figures in this table are illustrative estimates, not loan offers. The 7.28% rate is Freddie Mac&#8217;s national weekly average for October 1, 2026<sup> [3]<\/sup>, not a rate quote from Houzeo or any lender. The estimated monthly housing cost includes principal, interest, property taxes (0.9%) <sup>[8]<\/sup>, homeowners insurance (0.6%) <sup>[9]<\/sup>, and PMI (0.6% of the loan). Cash needed assumes 3% closing costs <sup>[10]<\/sup>. The last column uses the national median home price of $429,100 (NAR, August 2026) <sup>[2]<\/sup>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"36-stretch-scenario\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>At the 36% Stretch Scenario<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 36% scenario is our modeling assumption; it should not be interpreted as the standard 28\/36 lender guideline, where 36% refers to total debt rather than housing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Annual household income<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Stretch home price<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Monthly housing cost<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Years to save for stretch home<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Years to save for $429K median-priced home<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$50,000<\/td><td>$191,000<\/td><td>$1,500<\/td><td><strong>5 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>11.2 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$75,000<\/td><td>$286,000<\/td><td>$2,250<\/td><td><strong>5 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>7.4 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$87,460<\/td><td>$334,000<\/td><td>$2,624<\/td><td><strong>5 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>6.4 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$100,000<\/td><td>$382,000<\/td><td>$3,000<\/td><td><strong>5 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>5.6 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$150,000<\/td><td>$573,000<\/td><td>$4,500<\/td><td><strong>5 years<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>3.7 years<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>All figures in this table are illustrative estimates, not loan offers. The 7.28% rate is Freddie Mac&#8217;s national weekly average for October 1, 2026 <sup>[3]<\/sup>, not a rate quote from Houzeo or any lender. The estimated monthly housing cost includes principal, interest, property taxes (0.9%) <sup>[8]<\/sup>, homeowners insurance (0.6%) <sup>[9]<\/sup>, and PMI (0.6% of the loan). Cash needed assumes 3% closing costs <sup>[10]<\/sup>. The last column uses the national median existing-home price of $429,100 (NAR, August 2026) <sup>[2]<\/sup>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>One pattern stands out:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The model scales with income, so buying the home your salary supports takes about 3.9 years of saving 10% of income at any income level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>But buying the median-priced home is a different story.<\/strong> At $50,000 in annual income, saving the upfront cash for a $429,100 home takes 11.2 years. At $150,000, it takes 3.7 years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"salary-wise-breakdown\" class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>Salary-Wise Affordability Breakdown<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically, lenders want your total housing payment at or below 28% of gross monthly income, and all debt payments at or below 36%. Some loan programs allow more <sup>[11]<\/sup>, but the 28% line keeps a payment manageable. Your down payment changes the answer too: a bigger down payment means a smaller loan and no private mortgage insurance (PMI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"50k-salary\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Much House Can I Afford With a $50K Salary?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a $50,000 salary, you can comfortably afford a home priced around $148,000 with 10% down, for a monthly payment of about $1,167. Stretching to the 36% limit gets you to about $191,000 if you carry no other debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>With 3.5% down (FHA) <sup>[12]<\/sup>:<\/strong> about $140,000, with $9,100 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>With 20% down:<\/strong> about $174,000, with $40,000 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Where it works:<\/strong> Under the 28% rule, the typical home is out of reach in every state. Even at the 36% stretch limit, no state comes within range; the lowest median sale price, Iowa\u2019s $255,000<sup> [5]<\/sup>, is about $64,000 above it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time to save:<\/strong> For the $429,100 national median home, saving 10% of income takes 11.2 years for 10% down, or 5.6 years for an FHA 3.5% down payment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At $50K, the realistic path is a below-median home, a condo or townhome, or a lower-cost metro within your state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"75k-salary\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Much House Can I Afford With a $75K Salary?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a $75,000 salary, you can comfortably afford a home priced around $223,000 with 10% down, for about $1,750 a month. The stretch limit is about $286,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>With 3.5% down (FHA):<\/strong> about $210,000, with $13,700 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>With 20% down:<\/strong> about $260,000, with $59,800 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Where it works:<\/strong> Under the 28% rule, the typical home is out of reach in every state. At the 36% stretch limit, it comes within range in 9 states: <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/arkansas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arkansas<\/a>, Indiana, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/iowa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Iowa<\/a>, Kentucky, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/louisiana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Louisiana<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/mississippi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mississippi<\/a>, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time to save:<\/strong> For the national median home, saving 10% of income takes 7.4 years for 10% down, or 5.0 years for 15% down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"100k-salary\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Much House Can I Afford With a $100K Salary?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a $100,000 salary, you can comfortably afford a home priced around $297,000 with 10% down, for about $2,333 a month. The stretch limit is about $382,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>With 3.5% down (FHA):<\/strong> about $280,000, with $18,200 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>With 20% down:<\/strong> about $347,000, with $79,800 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Where it works:<\/strong> The typical home is comfortably affordable in 11 states, including <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/ohio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ohio<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/michigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michigan<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/indiana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Indiana<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/missouri\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Missouri<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/kentucky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kentucky<\/a>, and <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/oklahoma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oklahoma<\/a>. At the stretch limit, that rises to 26 states.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time to save:<\/strong> For the national median home, saving 10% of income takes 5.6 years for 10% down, or 2.8 years for 3.5% down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A six-figure salary still falls about $132,000 short of the national median price under the 28% rule. That is why many $100K earners in coastal metros feel priced out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Our Affordability Estimate Compares<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our $144,500 income threshold is intentionally more conservative than Redfin&#8217;s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Redfin&#8217;s June 2026 analysis estimated that a household needed $109,796 to afford the typical U.S. home, using a 30% housing-cost threshold, 15% down payment, prevailing mortgage rates, and property taxes.<sup> [23]<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our model uses a 28% housing-cost threshold, 10% down, PMI, and a 7.28% mortgage rate, producing a higher $144,500 income requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neither number is &#8220;the&#8221; affordability threshold; they answer slightly different questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"150k-salary\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Much House Can I Afford With a $150K Salary?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a $150,000 salary, you can comfortably afford a home priced around $445,000 with 10% down, for about $3,500 a month. The stretch limit is about $573,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>With 3.5% down (FHA):<\/strong> about $420,000, with $27,300 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>With 20% down:<\/strong> about $521,000, with $119,800 needed at closing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Where it works:<\/strong> The typical home is comfortably affordable in 33 states, including <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/florida\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Florida<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/georgia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Georgia<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Carolina<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/arizona\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arizona<\/a>, and <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/texas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Texas<\/a>. Even at the stretch limit, a home in <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a>, Hawaii, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/massachusetts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Massachusetts<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/new-jersey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Jersey<\/a>, <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/washington\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington<\/a>, and <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/district-of-columbia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">D.C<\/a> is out of reach.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time to save:<\/strong> For the national median home, saving 10% of income takes 3.7 years for 10% down, or 6.6 years for 20% down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Mortgage Rates Change Your Buying Power<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A one-point drop in mortgage rates raises buying power by about 8%. At 6.28% instead of 7.28%, a $100,000 earner could afford about $321,000 instead of $297,000, with the same monthly payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gap shows why home affordability isn&#8217;t just about the monthly payment; it&#8217;s also about how much cash you can accumulate before you buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And salary isn&#8217;t the whole story. Where you want to live can change that timeline dramatically. Sometimes by years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But where buyers search isn&#8217;t necessarily where Americans are moving. Houzeo&#8217;s <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/2026-migration-trends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026 Migration Trends<\/a> report separates actual domestic migration from digital home-search behavior, showing why those two signals shouldn&#8217;t be treated as interchangeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"years-to-save\" class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>How Many Years Does It Take to Save for a Home in Each State?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In all 50 states and D.C., the median household earns less than it needs to comfortably buy the typical home with 10% down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>States Where Saving Takes the Longest<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>California and Hawaii top the list <\/strong>at 17.1 and 16.6 years for 20% down. Median home prices are 7.4 and 7.2 times median household income.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/new-york\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York<\/a> ranks third <\/strong>at 14.3 years. Its median sale price ($540,000)<sup> [5]<\/sup> is paired with a median income ($86,900) <sup>[6] <\/sup>slightly below the national figure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>D.C. and <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/homes-for-sale\/montana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Montana<\/a> follow at 13.9 years each, then Idaho at 13.4 years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>States Where Saving is Fastest<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Iowa <\/strong>is the fastest at 7.2 years for 20% down, helped by a $255,000 median sale price<sup> [5]<\/sup> and an $81,890 median income <sup>[6]<\/sup>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nebraska <\/strong>(7.3 years) and <strong>Ohio <\/strong>(7.4 years) follow. Even in these states, the median household falls short of comfortably buying the typical home with 10% down.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"statewise-downpayment-savings-timeline\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Full State Rankings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ranked from longest to shortest time to save 20% down. &#8220;Years to save&#8221; includes 3% closing costs and assumes the household saves 10% of gross income. &#8220;Income needed&#8221; is the income required to buy the typical home with 10% down under the 28% rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table has-custom-css wp-custom-css-b64758d2\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>#<\/th><th>State<\/th><th>Median Home Sale Price<\/th><th>Median Household Income<\/th><th>Home Price to Income Ratio<\/th><th>Years to Save (10% Down)<\/th><th>Years to Save (20% Down)<\/th><th>Income Needed (10%)<\/th><th>Gap<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td>California<\/td><td>$750,000<\/td><td>$100,800<\/td><td>7.4<\/td><td>9.7<\/td><td>17.1<\/td><td>$252,600<\/td><td>+$151,800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>Hawaii<\/td><td>$758,000<\/td><td>$105,100<\/td><td>7.2<\/td><td>9.4<\/td><td>16.6<\/td><td>$255,300<\/td><td>+$150,200<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>New York<\/td><td>$540,000<\/td><td>$86,900<\/td><td>6.2<\/td><td>8.1<\/td><td>14.3<\/td><td>$181,900<\/td><td>+$95,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td>District of Columbia<\/td><td>$652,490<\/td><td>$107,600<\/td><td>6.1<\/td><td>7.9<\/td><td>13.9<\/td><td>$219,700<\/td><td>+$112,100<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td>Montana<\/td><td>$525,000<\/td><td>$86,770<\/td><td>6.1<\/td><td>7.9<\/td><td>13.9<\/td><td>$176,800<\/td><td>+$90,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td><td>Idaho<\/td><td>$511,515<\/td><td>$87,840<\/td><td>5.8<\/td><td>7.6<\/td><td>13.4<\/td><td>$172,300<\/td><td>+$84,400<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td><td>Massachusetts<\/td><td>$660,000<\/td><td>$118,500<\/td><td>5.6<\/td><td>7.2<\/td><td>12.8<\/td><td>$222,300<\/td><td>+$103,800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td><td>Rhode Island<\/td><td>$530,000<\/td><td>$96,880<\/td><td>5.5<\/td><td>7.1<\/td><td>12.6<\/td><td>$178,500<\/td><td>+$81,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td><td>Oregon<\/td><td>$505,000<\/td><td>$92,740<\/td><td>5.4<\/td><td>7.1<\/td><td>12.5<\/td><td>$170,100<\/td><td>+$77,300<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td><td>New Mexico<\/td><td>$364,000<\/td><td>$67,620<\/td><td>5.4<\/td><td>7.0<\/td><td>12.4<\/td><td>$122,600<\/td><td>+$55,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td><td>Colorado<\/td><td>$550,000<\/td><td>$102,500<\/td><td>5.4<\/td><td>7.0<\/td><td>12.3<\/td><td>$185,200<\/td><td>+$82,700<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td><td>Washington<\/td><td>$599,950<\/td><td>$112,600<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>6.9<\/td><td>12.3<\/td><td>$202,000<\/td><td>+$89,400<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td><td>Nevada<\/td><td>$469,995<\/td><td>$88,880<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>6.9<\/td><td>12.2<\/td><td>$158,300<\/td><td>+$69,400<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td><td>New Jersey<\/td><td>$585,000<\/td><td>$111,400<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>6.8<\/td><td>12.1<\/td><td>$197,000<\/td><td>+$85,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td><td>Utah<\/td><td>$525,000<\/td><td>$102,900<\/td><td>5.1<\/td><td>6.6<\/td><td>11.7<\/td><td>$176,800<\/td><td>+$73,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td><td>Tennessee<\/td><td>$380,000<\/td><td>$75,250<\/td><td>5.0<\/td><td>6.6<\/td><td>11.6<\/td><td>$128,000<\/td><td>+$52,700<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td><td>Arizona<\/td><td>$430,000<\/td><td>$86,570<\/td><td>5.0<\/td><td>6.5<\/td><td>11.4<\/td><td>$144,800<\/td><td>+$58,200<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td><td>Florida<\/td><td>$385,000<\/td><td>$77,920<\/td><td>4.9<\/td><td>6.4<\/td><td>11.4<\/td><td>$129,700<\/td><td>+$51,700<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td><td>New Hampshire<\/td><td>$540,000<\/td><td>$112,100<\/td><td>4.8<\/td><td>6.3<\/td><td>11.1<\/td><td>$181,900<\/td><td>+$69,800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td><td>Wyoming<\/td><td>$389,450<\/td><td>$81,030<\/td><td>4.8<\/td><td>6.2<\/td><td>11.1<\/td><td>$131,200<\/td><td>+$50,100<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td><td>Mississippi<\/td><td>$276,975<\/td><td>$57,840<\/td><td>4.8<\/td><td>6.2<\/td><td>11.0<\/td><td>$93,300<\/td><td>+$35,400<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td><td>Vermont<\/td><td>$448,000<\/td><td>$95,290<\/td><td>4.7<\/td><td>6.1<\/td><td>10.8<\/td><td>$150,900<\/td><td>+$55,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>23<\/td><td>Connecticut<\/td><td>$475,000<\/td><td>$101,400<\/td><td>4.7<\/td><td>6.1<\/td><td>10.8<\/td><td>$160,000<\/td><td>+$58,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>24<\/td><td>North Carolina<\/td><td>$375,000<\/td><td>$80,250<\/td><td>4.7<\/td><td>6.1<\/td><td>10.7<\/td><td>$126,300<\/td><td>+$46,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>25<\/td><td>Virginia<\/td><td>$448,900<\/td><td>$100,000<\/td><td>4.5<\/td><td>5.8<\/td><td>10.3<\/td><td>$151,200<\/td><td>+$51,200<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>26<\/td><td>Maine<\/td><td>$425,000<\/td><td>$95,150<\/td><td>4.5<\/td><td>5.8<\/td><td>10.3<\/td><td>$143,100<\/td><td>+$48,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>27<\/td><td>Alabama<\/td><td>$300,000<\/td><td>$68,410<\/td><td>4.4<\/td><td>5.7<\/td><td>10.1<\/td><td>$101,000<\/td><td>+$32,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>28<\/td><td>Georgia<\/td><td>$357,000<\/td><td>$82,100<\/td><td>4.3<\/td><td>5.7<\/td><td>10.0<\/td><td>$120,200<\/td><td>+$38,100<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>29<\/td><td>Louisiana<\/td><td>$259,900<\/td><td>$60,670<\/td><td>4.3<\/td><td>5.6<\/td><td>9.9<\/td><td>$87,500<\/td><td>+$26,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>30<\/td><td>South Carolina<\/td><td>$350,000<\/td><td>$82,320<\/td><td>4.3<\/td><td>5.5<\/td><td>9.8<\/td><td>$117,900<\/td><td>+$35,500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>31<\/td><td>West Virginia<\/td><td>$260,250<\/td><td>$61,770<\/td><td>4.2<\/td><td>5.5<\/td><td>9.7<\/td><td>$87,600<\/td><td>+$25,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>32<\/td><td>Wisconsin<\/td><td>$360,000<\/td><td>$88,020<\/td><td>4.1<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>9.4<\/td><td>$121,200<\/td><td>+$33,200<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>33<\/td><td>South Dakota<\/td><td>$336,000<\/td><td>$82,460<\/td><td>4.1<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>9.4<\/td><td>$113,200<\/td><td>+$30,700<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>34<\/td><td>Alaska<\/td><td>$415,250<\/td><td>$102,500<\/td><td>4.1<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>9.3<\/td><td>$139,800<\/td><td>+$37,300<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>35<\/td><td>Arkansas<\/td><td>$275,000<\/td><td>$68,060<\/td><td>4.0<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>9.3<\/td><td>$92,600<\/td><td>+$24,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>36<\/td><td>Delaware<\/td><td>$403,160<\/td><td>$99,800<\/td><td>4.0<\/td><td>5.3<\/td><td>9.3<\/td><td>$135,800<\/td><td>+$36,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>37<\/td><td>Texas<\/td><td>$334,000<\/td><td>$85,060<\/td><td>3.9<\/td><td>5.1<\/td><td>9.0<\/td><td>$112,500<\/td><td>+$27,400<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>38<\/td><td>Minnesota<\/td><td>$370,000<\/td><td>$95,160<\/td><td>3.9<\/td><td>5.1<\/td><td>8.9<\/td><td>$124,600<\/td><td>+$29,400<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>39<\/td><td>Kentucky<\/td><td>$284,000<\/td><td>$73,750<\/td><td>3.9<\/td><td>5.0<\/td><td>8.9<\/td><td>$95,600<\/td><td>+$21,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>40<\/td><td>Michigan<\/td><td>$295,000<\/td><td>$76,800<\/td><td>3.8<\/td><td>5.0<\/td><td>8.8<\/td><td>$99,300<\/td><td>+$22,500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>41<\/td><td>Pennsylvania<\/td><td>$325,000<\/td><td>$85,880<\/td><td>3.8<\/td><td>4.9<\/td><td>8.7<\/td><td>$109,400<\/td><td>+$23,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>42<\/td><td>Maryland<\/td><td>$440,000<\/td><td>$116,300<\/td><td>3.8<\/td><td>4.9<\/td><td>8.7<\/td><td>$148,200<\/td><td>+$31,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>43<\/td><td>North Dakota<\/td><td>$315,000<\/td><td>$85,060<\/td><td>3.7<\/td><td>4.8<\/td><td>8.5<\/td><td>$106,100<\/td><td>+$21,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>44<\/td><td>Indiana<\/td><td>$282,000<\/td><td>$76,180<\/td><td>3.7<\/td><td>4.8<\/td><td>8.5<\/td><td>$95,000<\/td><td>+$18,800<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>45<\/td><td>Kansas<\/td><td>$310,000<\/td><td>$85,540<\/td><td>3.6<\/td><td>4.7<\/td><td>8.3<\/td><td>$104,400<\/td><td>+$18,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>46<\/td><td>Illinois<\/td><td>$330,000<\/td><td>$93,270<\/td><td>3.5<\/td><td>4.6<\/td><td>8.1<\/td><td>$111,100<\/td><td>+$17,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>47<\/td><td>Oklahoma<\/td><td>$265,000<\/td><td>$75,390<\/td><td>3.5<\/td><td>4.6<\/td><td>8.1<\/td><td>$89,200<\/td><td>+$13,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>48<\/td><td>Missouri<\/td><td>$295,000<\/td><td>$84,700<\/td><td>3.5<\/td><td>4.5<\/td><td>8.0<\/td><td>$99,300<\/td><td>+$14,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>49<\/td><td>Ohio<\/td><td>$275,000<\/td><td>$85,150<\/td><td>3.2<\/td><td>4.2<\/td><td>7.4<\/td><td>$92,600<\/td><td>+$7,500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>50<\/td><td>Nebraska<\/td><td>$320,000<\/td><td>$100,600<\/td><td>3.2<\/td><td>4.1<\/td><td>7.3<\/td><td>$107,800<\/td><td>+$7,200<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>51<\/td><td>Iowa<\/td><td>$255,000<\/td><td>$81,890<\/td><td>3.1<\/td><td>4.0<\/td><td>7.2<\/td><td>$85,900<\/td><td>+$4,000<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Homeowners insurance averages are projected to reach $3,057 a year in 2026, up 46% since 2021, and approach $8,500 in Florida<sup> [22]<\/sup>. In high-insurance states such as Florida and Louisiana, actual payments run higher than this model assumes, so the true gap there is wider.<\/em> <em>Estimates for general information only. Not financial, lending, or legal advice, and not an offer of credit. Actual rates, taxes, insurance, and loan approval vary by lender, location, and borrower. Sources: median home sale prices <sup>[5]<\/sup>, incomes <sup>[6]<\/sup>, mortgage rate <sup>[3]<\/sup>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Same Salary, Different State<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years to save 10% down plus closing costs on a typical home, saving 10% of income:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>State<\/th><th>$50K income<\/th><th>$75K income<\/th><th>$100K income<\/th><th>$150K income<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>West Virginia<\/td><td>6.8 years<\/td><td>4.5 years<\/td><td>3.4 years<\/td><td>2.3 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Ohio<\/td><td>7.2 years<\/td><td>4.8 years<\/td><td>3.6 years<\/td><td>2.4 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Texas<\/td><td>8.7 years<\/td><td>5.8 years<\/td><td>4.3 years<\/td><td>2.9 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>North Carolina<\/td><td>9.8 years<\/td><td>6.5 years<\/td><td>4.9 years<\/td><td>3.2 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Florida<\/td><td>10.0 years<\/td><td>6.7 years<\/td><td>5.0 years<\/td><td>3.3 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>New York<\/td><td>14.0 years<\/td><td>9.4 years<\/td><td>7.0 years<\/td><td>4.7 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>California<\/td><td>19.5 years<\/td><td>13.0 years<\/td><td>9.8 years<\/td><td>6.5 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Hawaii<\/td><td>19.7 years<\/td><td>13.1 years<\/td><td>9.9 years<\/td><td>6.6 years<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A $75,000 earner in Ohio reaches a 10% down payment in about the same time (4.8 years) as a $150,000 earner in New York (4.7 years).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Affordability also changes what buyers look for. Houzeo&#8217;s Q3 2026 analysis found that buyers increasingly searched for 2- and 3-bedroom homes, outdoor space, and locations outside major city cores. See <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/articles\/what-buyers-want-in-a-home-q3-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">what buyers want in a home<\/a> for the full breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>How Long Does it Take to Save for a House in 2026?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A median-income household saving 10% of its pay needs 6.4 years to save 10% down plus closing costs on the median U.S. home. A 20% down payment takes 11.3 years. The timeline depends on three levers: how much you put down, how much you save each year, and what homes cost where you buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Down Payment Timeline for the Median-Income Household<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The table below uses the median household income ($87,460) <sup>[1]<\/sup> and the median home sale price ($429,100) <sup>[2]<\/sup>, plus 3% closing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Down payment target<\/th><th>Cash needed<\/th><th>Saving 15% of income<\/th><th>Saving 10% of income<\/th><th>Saving at the U.S. rate (3% of after-tax income)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>3.5% (FHA minimum)<\/td><td>$27,900<\/td><td>2.1 years<\/td><td>3.2 years<\/td><td>12.2 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>10% (typical first-time buyer)<\/td><td>$55,800<\/td><td>4.3 years<\/td><td>6.4 years<\/td><td>24.4 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20% (no PMI)<\/td><td>$98,700<\/td><td>7.5 years<\/td><td>11.3 years<\/td><td>43.3 years<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most affordability studies assume a household saves 10% of its income <sup>[13]<\/sup>. The U.S. personal saving rate was 3.0% of disposable income in July 2026, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis<sup> [4]<\/sup>. For the median household, that is about $2,300 a year, and it turns a 20% down payment into a 43-year project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This gap helps explain the National Association of Realtors&#8217; 2025 findings: first-time buyers made up a record-low 21% of purchases, and their median age hit a record 40 <sup>[14]<\/sup>. Their median down payment was 10%, while repeat buyers put down 23% <sup>[15]<\/sup>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a deeper look at who is buying homes in 2026, including the growing role of repeat buyers, cash buyers, and older homeowners, see <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/articles\/2026-american-home-buyer-profile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Houzeo&#8217;s American Home Buyer Profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Down Payment Timeline by Salary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years to save for the $429,100 national median home, saving 10% of gross income for down payment and including 3% closing costs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Annual income<\/th><th>3.5% down<\/th><th>10% down<\/th><th>20% down<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>$50,000<\/td><td>5.6 years<\/td><td>11.2 years<\/td><td>19.7 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$75,000<\/td><td>3.7 years<\/td><td>7.4 years<\/td><td>13.2 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$100,000<\/td><td>2.8 years<\/td><td>5.6 years<\/td><td>9.9 years<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>$150,000<\/td><td>1.9 years<\/td><td>3.7 years<\/td><td>6.6 years<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The jump from 10% to 20% down nearly doubles the wait at every income. For many buyers, a smaller down payment with PMI gets them into a home years sooner, and borrowers can ask to cancel PMI once the loan balance is scheduled to reach 80% of the home&#8217;s original value<sup> [16]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"houzeo-data-reveals-readiness\" class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>What Houzeo Buyer Data Shows about Readiness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Savings are only half of affordability; credit decides what a buyer&#8217;s savings can buy. Houzeo&#8217;s data comprises 5,201 buyer inquiries submitted on its platform between January 1 and September 1, 2026. The mortgage pre-approval requests came from 365 buyers, and 419 valid offers came from 261 buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. 1 in 3 Pre-Approval Applicants Have a Credit Score Below 620<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">37% of buyers who applied for pre-approval through <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Houzeo<\/a> reported a credit score below 620, the minimum Fannie Mae sets for manually underwritten conventional loans.<sup> [7]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only 15% reported 720 or higher, the range that typically qualifies for the best rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Self-reported credit score<\/th><th>Share of pre-approval applicants<\/th><th>Median list price of the home they inquired about<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>585 or lower<\/td><td>18.4%<\/td><td>$92,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>586 to 619<\/td><td>18.4%<\/td><td>$89,500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>620 to 659<\/td><td>25.2%<\/td><td>$119,900<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>660 to 719<\/td><td>23.6%<\/td><td>$109,625<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>720 or higher<\/td><td>14.5%<\/td><td>$169,900<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Buyers with scores of 720 or higher targeted homes priced about 42% higher than buyers in the 620 to 659 range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A higher mortgage rate can materially reduce buying power; under this model, a one-percentage-point rate increase reduces modeled buying power by roughly 8%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Credit isn&#8217;t just a qualification hurdle; it can change the mortgage economics. The CFPB says borrowers with higher credit scores generally receive lower interest rates, while borrowers in the 620\u2013680 range tend to face higher rates and fewer choices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fannie Mae&#8217;s current guide sets a 620 minimum for manually underwritten fixed-rate loans, although automated underwriting through Desktop Underwriter does not impose a blanket minimum score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Houzeo&#8217;s data suggests a sizeable share of buyers entering the pre-approval process may be approaching the market from a financially constrained starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Buyers Feel Ready Before Their Finances Are<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>45% of pre-approval applicants planned to buy immediately or within 30 days.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>51% said they were already making offers, and 10% had already signed a contract.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>93% were buying a primary residence, and 87% wanted a single-family home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many buyers start the mortgage process after they start shopping. Checking credit and getting pre-approved before touring homes can reveal gaps early, while you still have time to fix them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broader market shows similar hesitation, but not a complete retreat. NAR reported that August pending home sales were still 4.7% below a year earlier even as mortgage rates remained elevated, suggesting buyers were willing to shop but were not necessarily converting that interest into contracts at the same pace. Existing-home sales also fell 2% month over month in August 2026. <sup>[2]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Houzeo&#8217;s buyer data offers a closer look at what happens inside that hesitation: many buyers reach the mortgage-readiness stage only after they are already deep into the search or offer process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Cash Buyers Dominate the Low End<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>51% of Houzeo buyers who made offers (133 of 261) offered all cash, or 54% of 419 valid offers. That\u2019s roughly double the 27% all-cash share of closed sales NAR reported for August 2026 <sup>[2]<\/sup>, though offers on Houzeo skew toward lower-priced listings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All-cash offers clustered on lower-priced homes, with a median list price of $59,900 versus $162,500 for mortgage-financed offers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Below $100,000, 74% of offers were all-cash. Between $100,000 and $200,000, 74% were financed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The median offer was 88% of list price. The median cash offer was 85.5% of list price, versus 89.7% for mortgage-financed offers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For buyers saving to buy a home on a $50K to $75K salary, this matters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lower-priced homes had a much higher share of cash offers in Houzeo&#8217;s data, potentially putting financed buyers at a disadvantage in a segment where buyers have less financial room to maneuver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cash is already unusually powerful in today&#8217;s housing market. NAR reported that 27% of existing-home transactions were cash sales in August 2026. <sup>[2]<\/sup> Its 2025 buyer profile also found that repeat buyers were particularly advantaged: their median down payment was 23%, and 30% purchased with cash.<sup> [15]<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many repeat buyers can draw on equity accumulated from previous homes, giving them a financial advantage that first-time buyers typically lack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Houzeo&#8217;s data shows how concentrated that advantage can become at the bottom of the price spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 54% cash share among Houzeo offers isn&#8217;t directly comparable to NAR&#8217;s 27% share of closed transactions: one measures offers, and the other measures completed sales, but the difference is directionally revealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"shorten-downpayment-savings-timeline\" class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>How to Shorten Your Savings Timeline<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the fastest ways to cut years off the wait is to lower the down payment target. Moving from 20% to 10% down roughly halves the timeline at every income level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Use a low-down-payment loan:<\/strong> FHA loans allow as little as 3.5% down <sup>[12]<\/sup>, and Fannie Mae&#8217;s HomeReady loan allows 3% down<sup> [17]<\/sup>. For a median-income household, 3.5% down cuts the wait on the median home from 11.3 years to 3.2 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Check down payment assistance programs:<\/strong> State housing finance agencies fund home purchases for low- and middle-income buyers <sup>[18]<\/sup>. Check your state&#8217;s agency for first-time buyer and down payment programs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve your credit score:<\/strong> Moving from the 620s to 720+ can lower your rate, which raises buying power by about 8% per percentage point. Fannie Mae no longer sets a hard 620 minimum for loans run through its automated underwriting system <sup>[7]<\/sup>, so ask your lender how your loan will be underwritten.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Target a lower-cost market:<\/strong> A $75,000 earner reaches 10% down on a typical Ohio home in 4.8 years, versus 13.0 years in California. Even if you need to live in an expensive state, you need to assess affordable neighborhoods before making any offers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Save 15% instead of 10%:<\/strong> It cuts about a third off every timeline, taking a median-income household from 6.4 to 4.3 years for 10% down.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Automate savings into a high-yield account:<\/strong> Interest won&#8217;t fix a 10-year gap, but automatic transfers protect the habit that does.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>Home Affordability Report Methodology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This analysis combines anonymized and aggregated Houzeo buyer activity data with publicly available housing datasets and national research to estimate how much home buyers can afford at different incomes and how long it takes to save for a down payment in 2026. It was conducted by Jai Chavan, Digital Marketing Manager at Houzeo, who researches housing market trends, consumer behavior, and digital real estate using proprietary Houzeo platform data and public housing datasets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Houzeo combined public housing, income, and mortgage data with its own buyer inquiry data. All figures are estimates as of September &amp; October 2026, stated in today&#8217;s dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Home Affordability by Salary<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We calculated the highest home price at which the total monthly housing payment equals 28% of gross monthly income (the comfortable price) and 36% (the stretch price). Lenders&#8217; debt-to-income limits vary by loan program<sup> [11]<\/sup>. The monthly payment includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Principal and interest on a 30-year fixed mortgage at 7.28%, Freddie Mac&#8217;s weekly average for October 1, 2026 <sup>[3]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Property taxes at 0.9% of the home&#8217;s value per year <sup>[8]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Homeowners insurance at 0.6% of the home&#8217;s value per year <sup>[9]<\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Private mortgage insurance (PMI) at 0.6% of the loan balance per year when the down payment is under 20%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We assumed no other monthly debts. We modeled down payments of 3.5% (the FHA minimum <sup>[12]<\/sup>), 10% (the median for first-time buyers<sup> [15]<\/sup>), and 20%. Mortgage rates change weekly. These estimates reflect Freddie Mac\u2019s 30-year fixed average of 7.28% for October 1, 2026 <sup>[3]<\/sup>; at a different rate, the home prices, monthly payments, and income requirements in this report will change by roughly 8% in buying power for every percentage point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The affordability model uses Freddie Mac&#8217;s 30-year fixed-rate average of 7.28% for October 1, 2026. This rate is used as the report&#8217;s modeling cutoff; mortgage rates subsequently rose to 7.40% on October 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Personal Savings Timelines<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cash needed equals the down payment plus closing costs of 3% of the home price<sup> [10]<\/sup>. Years to save equals cash needed divided by annual savings. We modeled three saving rates: 10% and 15% of gross income, and the U.S. personal saving rate of 3.0% of disposable income for July 2026 <sup>[4]<\/sup>. We converted that rate to 2.6% of gross income using the Census ratio of post-tax to pre-tax median household income ($76,060 \/ $87,460) <sup>[1]<\/sup>. For simplicity, timelines assume savings growth roughly offsets home price growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>National Benchmarks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The national median existing-home price is $429,100 for August 2026<sup> [2]<\/sup>. The national median household income is $87,460 for 2025 <sup>[1]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>State Comparisons<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typical home prices are Redfin state median sale prices for August 2026 (all property types, not seasonally adjusted, data as of October 7, 2026) <sup>[5]<\/sup>. State survey estimates carry wider margins of error than national figures. Low-volume markets (D.C., North Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, and South Dakota, each with fewer than 750 sales in August) can move sharply month to month. State median household incomes are 2025 Current Population Survey estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, via FRED <sup>[6]<\/sup>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We applied national tax and insurance rates in every state, so payments in high-tax or high-insurance states may be understated. Our 0.6% insurance assumption equals about $2,575 a year on the median-priced home, below the projected 2026 national average of $3,057 <sup>[22]<\/sup>. A state counts as affordable at a given salary when its median sale price is at or below the comfortable price for that salary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Houzeo Buyer Data<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Houzeo figures come from its <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/2026-home-buyer-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2026 Home Buyer Report<\/a>: The sample data in this analysis comprises 5,201 buyer inquiries submitted on Houzeo.com and the Houzeo app from January 1 to September 1, 2026: 3,146 agent contacts, 1,125 showing requests, 501 offers, and 429 pre-approval leads. Data is anonymized and aggregated under <a   href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/privacypolicy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Houzeo\u2019s Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pre-approval figures cover 365 unique buyers who requested pre-approval for a home purchase, counting each buyer\u2019s first request. Credit scores, purchase timelines, and buying stage are self-reported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Offer figures cover 419 valid offers from 261 unique buyers, after excluding 48 placeholder offers (offer or listing price under $1,000) and 34 offers with no recorded financing type. Offer-to-list ratios cover listings of $50,000 or more and exclude ratios below 30% or above 150%. List prices reflect homes buyers made offers on, not homes purchased.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All-cash figures use the same cleaned offer dataset as Houzeo&#8217;s Cash Buyers vs. Mortgage Buyers analysis.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Houzeo reports this data only in aggregate. No individual buyer, listing, or inquiry can be identified, and no published figure is based on fewer than 50 responses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How This Model Compares With Other Affordability Estimates<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zillow estimated that saving a 20% down payment on a typical single-family home takes 8.5 years at a 10% saving rate <sup>[13]<\/sup>. Our 11.3-year estimate is longer because it adds 3% closing costs and uses the NAR median home sale price. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Redfin&#8217;s June 2026 affordability model required $109,796 in annual income, using a 30% housing-cost threshold, 15% down, prevailing mortgage rates, and property taxes <sup>[21]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our $144,500 estimate is higher because it uses 10% down, PMI, a 7.28% rate, and the 28% threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The difference is not an error. It just shows why you should always read affordability estimates alongside their assumptions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>External Sources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2026\/income-poverty-health-insurance-coverage.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025, September 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/newsroom\/nar-existing-home-sales-report-shows-2-0-decrease-in-august\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">National Association of Realtors, Existing-Home Sales, August 2026, September 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/news-release\/2026\/09\/24\/3368592\/0\/en\/mortgage-rates-average-7-03.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey: Mortgage Rates Average 7.28%, October 1, 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.bea.gov\/news\/2026\/personal-income-and-outlays-july-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Personal Income and Outlays, July 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/data-center\/downloads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Redfin Data Center, Housing Market Data by State, August 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/release\/tables?eid=259515&#038;rid=249\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED), Real Median Household Income by State, 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/selling-guide.fanniemae.com\/sel\/b3-5.1-01\/general-requirements-credit-scores\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Fannie Mae, Selling Guide B3-5.1-01: General Requirements for Credit Scores, April 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/mortgages\/property-tax-by-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bankrate, Property Tax Rates by State, May 2026 (ATTOM data)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.nerdwallet.com\/insurance\/homeowners\/learn\/average-homeowners-insurance-cost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">NerdWallet, Average Homeowners Insurance Cost, 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/mortgages\/what-are-closing-costs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Bankrate, Closing Costs: What They Are and How Much They Cost<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerfinance.gov\/ask-cfpb\/what-is-a-debt-to-income-ratio-en-1791\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What Is a Debt-to-Income Ratio<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.hud.gov\/helping-americans\/loans\">U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FHA Loans<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/zillow.mediaroom.com\/2026-08-20-In-the-priciest-markets,-saving-and-breaking-even-on-a-home-purchase-can-take-a-buyer-into-their-retirement-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Zillow, In the Priciest Markets, Saving and Breaking Even on a Home Purchase Can Take a Buyer Into Their Retirement Years, August 20, 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/news\/economists-outlook\/top-10-takeaways-from-nars-2025-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">National Association of Realtors, Top 10 Takeaways From NAR&#8217;s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, November 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-11\/2025-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers-highlights-11-04-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">National Association of Realtors, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: Highlights, November 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerfinance.gov\/ask-cfpb\/when-can-i-remove-private-mortgage-insurance-pmi-from-my-loan-en-202\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, When Can I Remove Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) From My Loan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/singlefamily.fanniemae.com\/originating-underwriting\/mortgage-products\/homeready-mortgage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Fannie Mae, HomeReady Mortgage<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsha.org\/housing-help\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">National Council of State Housing Agencies, Housing Help<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/housing-assistance\/home-loans\/loan-types\/purchase-loan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA-Backed Purchase Loan<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.rd.usda.gov\/programs-services\/single-family-housing-programs\/single-family-housing-guaranteed-loan-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">U.S. Department of Agriculture, Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/affordability-homebuying-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Redfin, The Income Needed to Afford a Typical American Home Holds Steady Near Record High of $110,000, 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/national\/2026\/03\/18\/862372.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Insurance Journal (Bloomberg), citing Insurify, Home Insurance Premiums Projected to Rise in 2026, March 18, 2026<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a   href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/press-releases\/the-income-needed-to-afford-typical-american-home-holds-steady-near-record-high-of-110000\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Redfin, &#8220;The Income Needed to Afford Typical American Home Holds Steady Near Record High of $110,000,&#8221; August 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>Disclaimer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The figures in this article are illustrative estimates based on stated assumptions and third-party data available as of October 2026. They are provided for general informational purposes only. They are not financial, lending, tax, investment, or legal advice, and they do not constitute an offer of credit, a loan approval, a rate quote, or a commitment to lend. Houzeo is not a lender and does not make credit decisions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Actual mortgage rates, property taxes, insurance costs, closing costs, home prices, and loan eligibility vary by lender, location, property, and borrower, and may change at any time. Third-party data is believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed, and Houzeo makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, about the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information in this article. Houzeo is not responsible for any decisions made or actions taken based on this content.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Before making any home purchase or financing decision, consult a licensed loan officer, financial advisor, or attorney about your specific situation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading margin-top-28\"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"new-excerpt\"><p class=\"small-desc\">A median-income household needs 6.4 years to save 10% down and 11.3 years for 20% on the $429,100 median home. At the U.S. personal savings rate, 20% down takes an estimated 43 years.&nbsp; We modeled home...<\/p><\/div><div class=\"reading_date\"><span class=\"readtime\">21 mins read<\/span><span class=\"date\">Oct 13, 2026<\/span><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Much House Can I Afford? (Home Affordability Report)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"See how much house you can afford on a $50K, $75K, $100K, or $150K salary, how long it takes to save a down payment, and how affordability changes across all 50 states.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Much House Can I Afford? (Home Affordability Report)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"See how much house you can afford on a $50K, $75K, $100K, or $150K salary, how long it takes to save a down payment, and how affordability changes across all 50 states.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/houzeo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-13T04:51:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-13T12:03:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1288\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jai\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@houzeo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@houzeo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jai\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"24 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/\",\"name\":\"How Much House Can I Afford? (Home Affordability Report)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-13T04:51:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-13T12:03:48+00:00\",\"description\":\"See how much house you can afford on a $50K, $75K, $100K, or $150K salary, how long it takes to save a down payment, and how affordability changes across all 50 states.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png\",\"width\":1288,\"height\":2560,\"caption\":\"Home Affordability Report - How Much House Can You Afford on Your Salary (2026 Data)\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/\",\"name\":\"Research\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Houzeo\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/new-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/new-logo.png\",\"width\":235,\"height\":69,\"caption\":\"Houzeo\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/houzeo\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/houzeo\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Much House Can I Afford? (Home Affordability Report)","description":"See how much house you can afford on a $50K, $75K, $100K, or $150K salary, how long it takes to save a down payment, and how affordability changes across all 50 states.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Much House Can I Afford? (Home Affordability Report)","og_description":"See how much house you can afford on a $50K, $75K, $100K, or $150K salary, how long it takes to save a down payment, and how affordability changes across all 50 states.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/","og_site_name":"Research","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/houzeo","article_published_time":"2026-10-13T04:51:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-13T12:03:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1288,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Jai","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@houzeo","twitter_site":"@houzeo","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jai","Est. reading time":"24 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/","name":"How Much House Can I Afford? (Home Affordability Report)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png","datePublished":"2026-10-13T04:51:23+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-13T12:03:48+00:00","description":"See how much house you can afford on a $50K, $75K, $100K, or $150K salary, how long it takes to save a down payment, and how affordability changes across all 50 states.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/home-affordability-report-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-scaled.png","width":1288,"height":2560,"caption":"Home Affordability Report - How Much House Can You Afford on Your Salary (2026 Data)"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/","name":"Research","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#organization","name":"Houzeo","url":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/new-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/new-logo.png","width":235,"height":69,"caption":"Houzeo"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/houzeo","https:\/\/x.com\/houzeo"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333"}],"version-history":[{"count":156,"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":544,"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333\/revisions\/544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.houzeo.com\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}