35 Percent Rule Of Thumb

Definition of "35 percent rule of thumb"

Paula Somerville real estate agent

Written by

Paula Somervilleelite badge icon

Fairfax Realty Elite

Have you heard someone talking about a 35-percent rule of thumb and you nodded acknowledging but the truth is that you had NO idea what in the world a “35-percent rule of thumb” means?!

We’ve all been there, my friend.

The 35-percent rule of thumb is a calculation practice that lenders make in order to determine the borrower’s risk. Actually, it’s sort of a euphemism to say they’re assessing the risk. The truth is that the 35-percent rule of thumb determines if the borrower can or cannot pay the loan. That’s why it's a “rule” and not an “estimation”. In fact, ever since the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2010, the 35 percent rule of thumb has been upgraded to a law. By law, lenders can’t underwrite the loan unless they can determine the borrower will be able to pay up the loan.

The whole idea behind the 35-percent rule of thumb is this: a borrower can afford no more than 35% of its monthly take-home pay. So, let’s say that borrower Christie has a gross annual income of $50,000 and her take-home pay is $2,095 per month. That would mean that, under the 35-percent rule of thumb, Christie could not afford a monthly payment of $1,300 (35%) or higher, for instance. Usually, the workaround here is asking for a bigger down payment to water down the size of the installments, or extending the mortgage term, and mortgage payment scheduled in a way that it preserves the borrower’s finances and prevents the financial system from collapsing from irresponsible loans that are never paid and increasingly grow interest damaging in the process the economy as a whole.

Real Estate Advice:

Does all of this seem like rocket science to you? Then contact a rocket scientist: they’re called real estate agents and we have some of the best right here at The OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory®

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

The definition of a bedroom community, or commuter town in real estate is a unique type of community that merely uses their homes to sleep, while doing everything else offsite. In a bedroom ...

Mortgage in which the interest rate charged by the lender can vary according to some reference index not controlled by the lender, such as the interest rate on 1-year U.S. T-bills or the ...

Interest rate that exceeds the rate on the old loan but in less than the rate on new loans. It is usually offered by the lender to encourage home buyers to refinance existing, low interest ...

Rate of return that is necessary to maintain market value of a real estate project. The cost of capital is used for project evaluation purposes. Under the net present value method, the cost ...

Obtaining money and/or property from a deceased person whether by will or not. ...

in joint tenancy, the joint tenants must acquire their interest by the same conveyance and the interest must be equal. ...

High quality, premium wood to be used in construction such as for home building. ...

Wood strip on the top of a baseboard. ...

Notice of a pending suit; a public notice given to prospective purchasers and any one else considering an interest in property that the title is being legally challenged, and the outcome is ...

Popular Real Estate Questions