How much house can I afford? Age 32
As title says, I’m looking for thoughts on how much house I can afford without stressing. I want to go in with enough money for down payment (20%), 6 month emergency fund, closing costs and money for furnishing. Fwiw, im 32.
Details
Timeline: 1-2 years
Liquid cash (HYSA): $160k. I’m saving a lot still, so I feel confident I can get this over $200k in the next year or two.
Property: I own a condo with probably $160k in equity if I were to sell. 2.75% rate. This would help with down payment, but haven’t fully decided if I want to sell yet.
Income: I’m in sales so it varies. I’m very risk averse, so I like to leave off my salty of $109k. The last 3 years I’ve made between 170k - $215k. My gf makes ~$60k. So I’d like to budget off $170k combined - knowing there will be more money coming in. Maybe too conservative?
Retirement: $850k between 401k and personal brokerage.
I am open to thoughts, feedback, suggestions, criticisms, and more. What do you all think? What should I do differently ? How much can I afford?
Posted Mar 2, 2026, 4:14 PM UTC