Your Debt to Income Ratio is a key metric of analysis lenders use when you submit a loan application. It gives us a good indication of how much you can afford in relation to the debts you currently hold. In the Denver Real Estate Market there is a LOT going on... little inventory, increasing rates AND increasing prices. So, how does that affect homebuyer affordability? Well, with all this activity, what you were approved for might not work anymore... and optimizing your DTI just became that much more important. In this episode, Nicole will walk you through what is part of your monthly debt and what are the exceptions. Listen at least once. Share this with your family and friends.

Tip: The car doesn't care about the house, but the house cares about the car. Make your purchases in the right order.

Tip: how do you calculate your debt-to-income ratio?

To calculate your debt-to-income ratio, you add up all your monthly debt payments and divide them by your gross monthly income. Your gross monthly income is generally the amount of money you have earned before your taxes and other deductions are taken out.  For example, if you pay $1500 a month for your mortgage and another $100 a month for an auto loan and $400 a month for the rest of your debts, your monthly debt payments are $2,000. ($1500 + $100 + $400 = $2,000.) If your gross monthly income is $6,000, then your debt-to-income ratio is 33 percent. ($2,000 is 33% of $6,000.)

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