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DC Homeowners Spend 32 Percent of Income on Mortgages

  • March 14th 2018

by Nena Perry-Brown

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DC Homeowners Spend 32 Percent of Income on Mortgages: Figure 1
Housing affordability in the DC metro area

A new study by Zillow shows that homeowners in the DC area spent 17.8 percent of their income on their mortgages in the fourth quarter of 2017. Historically (from 1985 to 2000), that percentage was notably higher at 22.3 percent, but rising interest rates could be moving the region back to percentages that high. 

DC Homeowners Spend 32 Percent of Income on Mortgages: Figure 2
Affordability of owning vs. renting in the DC metro area

Zillow's analysis predicts that once mortgage rates hit 5 percent, homebuyers will spend 20.2 percent of their income on their monthly mortgage. If rates were to rise as high as 7 percent, homebuyers will be spending 25.1 percent of their income on mortgages — nearly as much as area renters currently spend on housing (25.9 percent).

DC Homeowners Spend 32 Percent of Income on Mortgages: Figure 3
Percent of income spent on mortgage in area cities

In DC proper, homeowners are already spending a significant chunk of their income on home payments, jumping from 29.9 percent in 2015 to 32.5 percent at the end of last year.

The study assumes that homeowners earn the area median income and own a median-priced house with a 20 percent down-payment on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage.

See other articles related to: affordability, mortgage rates, mortgages, zillow

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/rising-mortgage-rates-threaten-to-make-owning-as-expensive-as-renting/13696.

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