Anonymous
02/04/2026 15:35
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
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DP. You’re probably fine then. Especially because presumably if there was a job loss or another financial issue you have a safety net in the same source from which you’ll eventually inherit a lot of money.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I know we can but risk averse spouse is nervous so curious what others think.
HHI $325k split evenly
2 working parents, 1 child
House price $1.3M, down payment $450k, PITI ~$6500
No other debt
Plans for any more kids?
Emergency fund / additional savings or investments?
Retirement on track?
College savings handled?
Expecting any inheritance?
Basically I agree with your risk averse spouse that this is a big mortgage payment on your income and pretty anxiety-inducing, but I could imagine a world where I'm wrong and your personal cushion makes it fine.
No more kids. Ahead on retirement and college. Expecting a lot in inheritance, hopefully not for a while though. To the other PP above, house won’t require any maintenance for a while as it’s new.
DP. You’re probably fine then. Especially because presumably if there was a job loss or another financial issue you have a safety net in the same source from which you’ll eventually inherit a lot of money.
Anonymous
02/04/2026 11:29
Subject: Re:Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
We did this and it's fine. Similar HHI, home price, down payment, and PITI. However, we've saved up chunks of money and recast the mortgage to bring it down to a 4700/mo PITI. We're presently saving to bring the mortgage down further. If you can do that too, I'd say go for it.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 21:48
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We make pretty much the exact same as you and took out a $975k loan. People on here will definitely tell me that I’m nuts but we are making it work. I cook almost all meals, don’t need to take vacations like others and we have great savings and retirement accounts. We moved 1.5 years ago and love our house. Only you know your comfort level but it is quite doable.
Yes that is it. If you want to be house poor not eat out or vacation but who wants that?!
Different priorities. We host family and friends. I’ve always cooked and rarely ate out. Still vacation just not luxuriously. I can always sell the house when kids go to college and make a profit. If you hold a house for 10 years it’s bound to make money in a good school district. Some people here will die multi millionaires if they are living as frugally as they discuss up thread but to each their own.
Yes I work 45+ hours a week. I don’t want to have to eat at home and not vacation. Yes I fully intend to die a multimillionaire. I want to fund a scholarship and leave money to my kids. But what I don’t have is a fancy expensive house.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 20:27
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We make pretty much the exact same as you and took out a $975k loan. People on here will definitely tell me that I’m nuts but we are making it work. I cook almost all meals, don’t need to take vacations like others and we have great savings and retirement accounts. We moved 1.5 years ago and love our house. Only you know your comfort level but it is quite doable.
Yes that is it. If you want to be house poor not eat out or vacation but who wants that?!
Different priorities. We host family and friends. I’ve always cooked and rarely ate out. Still vacation just not luxuriously. I can always sell the house when kids go to college and make a profit. If you hold a house for 10 years it’s bound to make money in a good school district. Some people here will die multi millionaires if they are living as frugally as they discuss up thread but to each their own.
Anonymous
02/03/2026 19:03
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We make pretty much the exact same as you and took out a $975k loan. People on here will definitely tell me that I’m nuts but we are making it work. I cook almost all meals, don’t need to take vacations like others and we have great savings and retirement accounts. We moved 1.5 years ago and love our house. Only you know your comfort level but it is quite doable.
Yes that is it. If you want to be house poor not eat out or vacation but who wants that?!
This thread didn’t go as OP intended…
Anonymous
02/03/2026 18:51
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:We make pretty much the exact same as you and took out a $975k loan. People on here will definitely tell me that I’m nuts but we are making it work. I cook almost all meals, don’t need to take vacations like others and we have great savings and retirement accounts. We moved 1.5 years ago and love our house. Only you know your comfort level but it is quite doable.
Yes that is it. If you want to be house poor not eat out or vacation but who wants that?!
Anonymous
02/03/2026 18:50
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:Sounds insane to me but go for it.
This but then again we bought a house 2X gross HHI
Anonymous
02/03/2026 17:10
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
We make pretty much the exact same as you and took out a $975k loan. People on here will definitely tell me that I’m nuts but we are making it work. I cook almost all meals, don’t need to take vacations like others and we have great savings and retirement accounts. We moved 1.5 years ago and love our house. Only you know your comfort level but it is quite doable.
Anonymous
02/01/2026 20:02
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Yes
Anonymous
02/01/2026 20:01
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:Never seen a new SFH in the DMV with only 2k SQ feet. Where is this ?Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I was the PP asking if the home needed any repairs. While I’m not personally a fan of new build townhomes, I think this is fine to do. A lot of judgmental people here who either 1) bought a long time ago and think being lucky makes them smart or 2) need to justify to strangers the moral superiority of buying in an area that is less desirable/has worse schools. We stretched to buy in an excellent neighborhood/school and haven’t regretted it for a second, even during that initial stretch when money was tight.
You missed 3) Bought a SFH for $1M in N Arlington / Bethesda / Chevy Chase / Vienna w top schools within the past 2 years that was slightly dated and not 3K+ sq ft.
OP can buy a SFH in a desirable top school district for $1.3M if they’re flexible on it (1) not being brand new and shiny and (2) can make 2000 ish square feet work.
Um, exactly? You should read the original message again. It clearly said you can find a SFH for under $1.3M if it’s not new…
Anonymous
02/01/2026 19:51
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:I know we can but risk averse spouse is nervous so curious what others think.
HHI $325k split evenly
2 working parents, 1 child
House price $1.3M, down payment $450k, PITI ~$6500
No other debt
Do what your heart tells you. You are going to get all types of answers here.
Anonymous
02/01/2026 18:42
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Never seen a new SFH in the DMV with only 2k SQ feet. Where is this ?Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I was the PP asking if the home needed any repairs. While I’m not personally a fan of new build townhomes, I think this is fine to do. A lot of judgmental people here who either 1) bought a long time ago and think being lucky makes them smart or 2) need to justify to strangers the moral superiority of buying in an area that is less desirable/has worse schools. We stretched to buy in an excellent neighborhood/school and haven’t regretted it for a second, even during that initial stretch when money was tight.
You missed 3) Bought a SFH for $1M in N Arlington / Bethesda / Chevy Chase / Vienna w top schools within the past 2 years that was slightly dated and not 3K+ sq ft.
OP can buy a SFH in a desirable top school district for $1.3M if they’re flexible on it (1) not being brand new and shiny and (2) can make 2000 ish square feet work.
Anonymous
02/01/2026 17:14
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:OP, I was the PP asking if the home needed any repairs. While I’m not personally a fan of new build townhomes, I think this is fine to do. A lot of judgmental people here who either 1) bought a long time ago and think being lucky makes them smart or 2) need to justify to strangers the moral superiority of buying in an area that is less desirable/has worse schools. We stretched to buy in an excellent neighborhood/school and haven’t regretted it for a second, even during that initial stretch when money was tight.
You missed 3) Bought a SFH for $1M in N Arlington / Bethesda / Chevy Chase / Vienna w top schools within the past 2 years that was slightly dated and not 3K+ sq ft.
OP can buy a SFH in a desirable top school district for $1.3M if they’re flexible on it (1) not being brand new and shiny and (2) can make 2000 ish square feet work.
Anonymous
02/01/2026 16:41
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
OP, I was the PP asking if the home needed any repairs. While I’m not personally a fan of new build townhomes, I think this is fine to do. A lot of judgmental people here who either 1) bought a long time ago and think being lucky makes them smart or 2) need to justify to strangers the moral superiority of buying in an area that is less desirable/has worse schools. We stretched to buy in an excellent neighborhood/school and haven’t regretted it for a second, even during that initial stretch when money was tight.
Anonymous
02/01/2026 16:32
Subject: Another can we afford this post, HHI $325k
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:$325,000 after Fed, State, and Payroll Taxes is likely around $250,000 take home. Assuming you are contributing fully to 401(k) and Roth IRAs, that's $64,000 a year to savings, which is a good target at just about 20%. That leaves $186,000 for spending, or $15,500 a month.
I don't know what kind of loan you are looking at or the home insurance/HOA/Property Tax fees, but using your number of $6,500, you'd be putting 42% of your take-home pay to your PITI. Using a general metric that fixed costs should not be more than 60% of your take-home pay, that would leave only $2,800 for other fixed costs like car payments, gas, daycare, groceries, out of pocket medical, pets, insurance, home maintenance, and all utilities - electric, gas, phone, water, sewer. That's very tight, probably impossible. So your fixed costs would be high compared to your take home pay.
That would put stress on your ability to do other savings like college and brokerage accounts, plus limit vacation fund, entertainment, eating out, clothing, gifts, and other discretionary purchasing.
It just depends what kind of life you want to live. If you think you will love this house and it's worth putting a huge chunk of your earnings to it every month, I think you will manage. If your income grows, even better, and things will loosen up. But I do think it will feel tight. You'll probably have to save less than 20% to retirement and take smaller vacations.
Run some numbers yourself. See if that's the life you want.
The metric I have heard is that PITI should not be more than 25% of net.
I would not do this deal in a million years but I also have no desire to live in a TH and be house poor.
Granted sounds like OP is counting on inheritance money and doesn’t need the appreciation she would see from a SFH.
If townhouses are going for 1.3M in that area, OP definitely can't definitely afford a SFH anywhere close. They're likely priced at more than twice that amount.
We bought a 2800 sqft TH for 1.1M back in 2016 in a really sought-after school district. Now, it's valued at 1.7M.
We're really pleased with that appreciation. Our friends who bought SFHs in the same price range but in less desirable locations aren't seeing the same appreciation.
Your mistake is assuming we’ll see another appreciation run up like we saw during COVID. That was due to “free money” via historically low interest rates. You should check what a SFH that sold around the same time you bought in the same school zone appreciated for (%) - it will be more than your TH.
Not sure I buy that your friends saw less appreciation on their SFH in less desirable areas too unless it was outside the DC area - for example Springfield and Annandale saw bigger SFH appreciation % increases during this same time period vs McLean or Arlington.
We’ll likely see much more modest appreciation between 2026-2036 in which case I’d put my $ where it historically holds or even appreciates in slumps, which is close-in land. Especially if the budget is tight and I’m relying on an inheritance for retirement that might get eaten up by PE-run nursing homes and other vultures.
There’s SFHs for sale in good school districts for $1.3M or less in N Arlington, Vienna (not close in but still super desirable), etc today. They won’t be “new” but they will appreciate more.