BUY OR BOLT
THE HOUSE-POOR REALITY CHECK
What does this house
do to your life?
Buy or Bolt is a free mortgage and home affordability calculator. See the full monthly cost, what’s left for savings, and what buying would change about your life. No account needed.
Monthly budget · Mortgage check · Investing impact
See an example before you start
FICTIONAL HOUSEHOLD · NOT YOUR RESULTS
Same income. A different kind of month.
This household takes home $10,000, spends $3,000 outside housing, and wants to save $2,000 each month. Here is what two all-in housing payments would leave. These are fixed examples, not live quotes.
| Each month | Home A | Home B |
|---|---|---|
| All-in housing | $4,200 | $5,200 |
| Toward savings | $2,000 | $1,800 |
| Extra after saving | $800 | $0 |
| Life Fit | BUY | THINK |
Home A protects the savings goal and our 5% breathing-room target. Home B leaves $200 less for savings, with nothing extra. Neither result is a mortgage approval or a recommendation to buy.
Housing includes principal and interest, taxes, insurance, and an upkeep reserve. These examples have no HOA dues or PMI. Closing costs and the down payment are separate.
See the full assumptions and lender comparison
Start with my numbers →This example does not fill in or change your answers.
YOUR REALITY CHECK
THINK
You could cover the costs,
but save less.
Estimated all-in cost$0/mo
That’s $0/day
more than now+$0/mo
What’s in the monthly cost?
Utilities belong in your spending. Closing costs and cash needed for the down payment are separate. Rounded items may differ slightly from the total.
What’s left each month
Find your price range.
Try a different home price without changing your original result.
Comfortable target$0while protecting savings + 5% monthly breathing room
Another home: price preview
This house: $0
THINK
Comfortable
$0Stretch ceiling
$0
Estimated all-in cost$0/mo
Available after housing + spending$0/mo
Trying another home price? This preview keeps the same down-payment cash and HOA dues, and scales taxes, insurance, and upkeep with price. Full results and your receipt still use the entered house.
Comfortable keeps your full savings goal plus 5% breathing room. The stretch ceiling keeps at least half your goal, with no monthly shortfall.
Optional checks
You can also check your debt-to-income ratio or compare future investing.
Check lender fit
A separate check using income before taxes and required debt payments. Not a preapproval.
Check the payment ratioNot a preapproval.
LENDER FIT
Housing payment used$0/mo
Estimated total DTI0%
See the investing tradeoff
See what a change in monthly investing could mean over time.
See the investing tradeoffCombine your retirement and brokerage accounts.
YOUR FUTURE FIT
Keep investing$0
After buying$0
Make it more accurateFine-tune the assumptions+
These are planning estimates, not quotes. Change anything you know.
Tax and insurance are planning estimates. Confirm with the listing, local tax assessor, and insurance quotes before deciding.
MORE THAN A MORTGAGE PAYMENT
A home affordability calculator
built around your actual life.
Buy or Bolt estimates the monthly cost of owning a home, including principal and interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance, PMI, HOA dues, and an upkeep reserve. Then it compares that cost with your take-home pay, spending, and savings goal.
Free to use, no account required, and your financial inputs stay in your browser.
Read the plain-English homebuying guides →
A MADE-UP HOUSEHOLD. A REAL TRADEOFF.
A manageable debt ratio can still mean a tight month.
Take home $10,000, spend $3,000 outside housing, and aim to save $2,000. With $4,200 in total housing costs, you can save that amount and keep $800 of breathing room. At $5,200, only $1,800 remains for savings, with nothing extra.
For this hypothetical household, both options have a total debt-to-income ratio below 36%. That is not an approval prediction. It shows why we look at your day-to-day budget separately.