Maximum Loan Amount Calculator
Borrowing capacity has two separate limits. Whichever comes in lower is the one that counts.
What This Calculator Does
Runs backward from the monthly payment you can comfortably carry to the principal it services at your rate and term, then sets that against the loan-to-value ceiling created by your down payment and the property price. Your genuine maximum is whichever of the two lands lower.
Who Is This For
Buyers who know their comfortable payment and want the matching price, borrowers with a fixed amount of cash testing how far the down payment stretches, and anyone handed a pre-approval figure who wants to understand where it came from.
How It Works
Enter the monthly payment you can carry, the rate and term you expect, and the cash available for a down payment. The calculator returns the payment-driven loan amount, the loan-to-value ceiling, and the constraint doing the binding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a lender apply two limits?
A lender is testing two different things. Whether you can make the payment is an income and ratio question. How much of the property's value they will lend against is a collateral question. Both have to clear, so the smaller answer is your real maximum.
What does loan-to-value measure?
The loan divided by the property's value or purchase price, whichever is lower — the lender's own exposure, in one number. A larger down payment lowers the ratio, and lower ratios open better pricing and can remove mortgage insurance from the payment altogether.
Where does the appraisal come in?
This is where deals break. Should the appraisal land under the contract price, the loan-to-value ceiling is calculated on the appraised figure rather than on what you agreed to pay. The difference becomes cash you bring or a price you renegotiate.
Is the maximum a target?
No — it is a boundary. Borrowing at the ceiling leaves nothing for insurance increases, special assessments, or maintenance, and all three move more in South Florida than buyers from other markets expect.
How sensitive is the ceiling to rate changes?
A great deal, since the payment-driven side is entirely rate-sensitive. With benchmark 30-year rates near 6.6-6.7% in mid-2026, a given monthly payment carries a very different principal than it did in a cheaper market. Re-run it every time the quote changes.