Anonymous wrote:Everyone on this site has a HHI of $500k–$1mil?

lol

Yes. Duh 😆

Anonymous wrote:Paid $950K in 2024 with 20% down so mortgage is $750K or so. HHI $700-800K. $6K PITI due to 7% interest rate despite mortgage principal being under our annual HHI : )

why not refinance? or just pay cash? that feels crazy to me! our HHI is less than half of that and paid 870k in 2020 and refinanced to 2.35 6 months after buying. our PITI is $3600 for a house very similar in cost to yours (currently valued at 1.3). if i had that sort of mortgage and income i'd pay it off!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:HHI is $600k and likely going down to $400k or so in a few years. Have 400K in the bank. What can we afford?

This really depends upon how your retirement and college savings are looking, if they are good then obviously you can go much higher but if they aren’t then you can’t go higher than 900k.

I agree but as a counterpoint a lot of people in this thread stretched quite a bit and it seems to have worked out fine. $900K with 20% down is what - $5.5K ish PITI? On $400K that should be more than fine - monthly take home post tax is probably still around $20-25K. They could probably go up to 1.25ish really easily if not a tad more.

Anonymous wrote:HHI is $600k and likely going down to $400k or so in a few years. Have 400K in the bank. What can we afford?

This really depends upon how your retirement and college savings are looking, if they are good then obviously you can go much higher but if they aren’t then you can’t go higher than 900k.

Anonymous wrote:Paid $170,000 in 2003. Our HHI was $80,000 at the time. House now worth about $400,000. Our HHI was $240,000 for a few years, but now back closer to $100,000 with some job shifts. Net worth about 1.5 million.

See, we aren’t all one percenters (or even five percenters)!

Finally someone I can relate to.

One of “poors” chiming in:
Bought in 2019 for 555k. Put about 10% down. I think our HHI then was around 150k ish? I can’t remember.

House is now worth 760k. HHI is now 260kish and debating if we want to leave our 3% interest rate and move out of a not so great school pyramid.

Anonymous wrote:Hhi $380k. Paid 1.4M but put down $600k (equity from sale). 4.75% rate. The mortgage is fine, but utilities and upkeep are the silent killer. Death by a thousand papercuts.

Can you say more on this for those of use who don't know. Thanks.

HHI 1.3, bought a 1.49M in Bethesda house in 2022 at 4.25%

HHI was about half that then

Paid $1.375 m in 2020. Worth close to $2 m now after putting some work into it. HHI of $750k. NW then of about $3m. NW now of close to $6.5m.

HHI is $600k and likely going down to $400k or so in a few years. Have 400K in the bank. What can we afford?

$700k, HHI 300k, bought this year 2026. We paid cash.

$3m. HHI varies but is never less than $1m.

HHI 360k
Paid 680k in 2015, worth more now. Refinanced during Covid to a "now you have to stay here until you die" interest rate

$850k in 2022 on HHI of $275k. Will probably move next year to a $1.3M house on HHI of $350k

Paid $550k in 2010, our HI was $200k , now worth $750k. Bought on the bubble.