MortgageDadOf3 calculator

Qualifying vs. comfortable.

A lender's maximum and a family's comfortable payment are not necessarily the same number. Adjust the assumptions and compare both.

More tools: Open the full Mortgage Calculator & Scenario Tool library →
Loads a reviewed state planning default. You can override the rate below.
1.10% new-buyer planning rate (California Legislative Analyst’s Office)
Editable planning estimate. Actual premiums are property- and location-specific.
Defaults to 0.55% annually and recalculates from the estimated loan amount.
How the property-tax defaults were built: I audited all 50 states against current 2026 national property-tax data. For 49 states, the default uses the latest statewide effective real-estate tax rate based on U.S. Census data as published in WalletHub's 2026 state comparison. California is handled differently because Proposition 13 makes the historical statewide effective rate misleading for a new purchase: the California Legislative Analyst’s Office says the typical rate is about 1.1% and a new owner's taxable value generally resets to purchase price. All defaults are starting estimates—not tax quotes.

Why can the real number be different?

Property taxes are local. County, city, school, special-district and bond charges can move the actual bill above or below a statewide average. Homestead exemptions, assessment caps, reassessment after sale, exemptions and special assessments can also matter. For an actual property, use the local assessor/tax collector record or a property-specific estimate.

Data review: September 11, 2026. Read the methodology →

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