How Much Do I Need to Make to Afford a $700,000 House in California?
November 8, 2026
You asked me this question more than any other. On Instagram, in my DMs, at open houses. “Dat, how much do I need to make
You asked me this question more than any other. On Instagram, in my DMs, at open houses. “Dat, how much do I need to make
If you’re waiting for rates to drop before you buy, I get it. The 30-year fixed averaged 7.18% for the week ending November 5, 2026
Seller concessions are credits from the seller toward your closing costs — not your down payment. Here’s what they cover, the limits, and how to
A condo is how a lot of first-time buyers actually get in. The house you want is $800,000. The condo down the street is $600,000.
The lender will approve you for more than you should spend. That’s not a bug in the system — it’s how the system works. The
When people talk about the cost of buying a home, they talk about the down payment. That’s the number everyone knows: 3.5% on FHA, $24,500
Here’s the line I hear all the time: “I need perfect credit to buy a home.” Not true. I say it in Episode 6 and
Here’s the problem nobody warns self-employed buyers about: you can make good money and still look broke on paper. You write off expenses. That’s smart
Let’s be straight about it: rates are high. The 30-year fixed averaged 7.18% for the week ending November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market
Is now a good time to buy a home? I get asked this more than any other question, and I understand why. You don’t want
You don’t need 20% saved to buy a house. You need a plan. And the plan is smaller than you think. I hear the same
A foreclosure listing looks like a deal. It is the only listing on the block where the price makes you stop scrolling — the same
A conventional loan is the plain-vanilla mortgage. No government insurance. Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac rules. It’s the loan most people picture when they picture
A VA loan is the best deal in mortgages — and most veterans never use it. If you served, if your spouse served, if you’re
Your offer got accepted. Now what? Now you’re in escrow — the stretch of time between your accepted offer and getting the keys. It usually
An FHA loan is the loan that gets most first-time buyers in the door. Low down payment, forgiving credit, and a process built for people
A client told me his Credit Karma score was 740. He’d checked it that morning, and he was ready to buy. Then I ran his
You’re scrolling listings and you find the house. You call your agent, you tour it, you love it. You make an offer. And the seller’s
Finding the right lender is the most important decision in the home-buying process — before you pick an agent, before you tour a house, before