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HOUSING, MINUS THE HYPE

Home Affordability & Market Reads
Is it a buyer's market?

Plain answers on affordability and market timing, so you buy on numbers instead of headlines.

Start with: The affordability math · The 28/36 rule · Affordability calculator · All market reads
Illustration of a city housing skyline
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Read any market in 3 signals

No invented dashboards. Just the three things that actually move the numbers.
  • Inventory

    More homes for sale hands leverage back to buyers.

  • Days on market

    The longer listings sit, the sooner sellers negotiate.

  • Price cuts

    Rising reductions are the clearest sign of a cooling market.

START HERE

The guides to read first

New to the numbers? These cornerstone reads walk the whole home-buying math, roughly in order.

All guides
01Affordability read

How Much House Can You Afford? The Real Affordability Math Behind the Rules of Thumb

How much house you can afford is about the monthly payment your budget can sustain, not the price a lender will approve.

Read the guide 02Affordability read

How Much Down Payment Do You Really Need? The 20% Myth and the Real Trade-offs

This market read dismantles the 20 percent down payment myth: real minimums by loan type, what PMI costs, the waiting-cost math, and trade-offs that decide.

Read the guide 03Affordability read

How Much Cash Do You Need to Buy a House?

This market read answers how much cash do you need to buy a house, summing the down payment, closing costs, reserves, and moving into one step-by-step figure.

Read the guide 04Affordability read

How Much Are Closing Costs for a Buyer? The Full Line-by-Line Breakdown

This market read itemizes closing costs for a buyer: the 2 to 5 percent range, the three fee buckets, what a $300k purchase runs, and how to lower them.

Read the guide 05Affordability read

Closing Cost vs Down Payment: What's the Difference?

Closing cost vs down payment, and down payment vs closing costs: what each covers, whether they can overlap, how much each runs, and when you pay both.

Read the guide 06Buying process

How to Buy Your First Home

This market note is a step-by-step walkthrough of how to buy your first home, from checking your credit to closing day.

Read the guide
FROM THE DESK

Latest market reads

Deep, plain-language guides on affordability, down payments, and the true cost of buying.

Browse all reads
A row of similar two-story houses with front porches and mowed lawns along a sidewalk lined with young trees under a clear skyBuying process
Newest read

What Is an HOA? HOA Fees, Rules, and What They Cover

This market read explains what an HOA is, what HOA fees cover, how dues cut your borrowing power, what the CC&Rs control, and what to check before you buy.

Aug 10, 202627 min read
Read this market read
A couple reviewing loan paperwork with a lender at a table beside a small model house and a calculatorFinancing read

How Home Equity Loan Rates Work: Prime, Margin, and LTV

This market read explains how home equity loan and HELOC rates are set: index plus margin, fixed versus variable, and what your LTV and credit tier change.

Updated Aug 9, 202627 min read
A tree-lined residential street of similar single-family homes on a clear dayFinancing read

Can You Mortgage a Mobile Home? Manufactured Home Loans

This market read answers can you mortgage a mobile home: when a manufactured home gets a real mortgage, when a chattel loan applies, and how land decides it.

Aug 5, 202627 min read
A calculator resting on printed statements with a small stack of coins beside it, the paperwork that starts a purchase made with bad creditFinancing read

How to Buy a House with Bad Credit (7 Honest Steps)

This market note walks step by step through how to buy a house with bad credit: score repair first, FHA and manual underwriting, and larger down payments.

Updated Aug 9, 202628 min read
A calendar and stacks of coins arranged as a timeline beside house keys, representing the phases of a home buying checklistBuying process

Home Buying Checklist: Every Step From Budget to Keys

This market note is the full home buying checklist: credit, budget, pre-approval, the house hunt, offer, inspection, and closing, in order, with cash math.

Updated Aug 9, 202631 min read
A welcoming home front porch with a small potted plant beside the door in soft morning lightFinancing read

What Is an FHA Loan? FHA Loan Requirements & Limits

This market read explains what an FHA loan is and the FHA loan requirements behind it: credit score, down payment, DTI, mortgage insurance, county limits.

Updated Aug 9, 202632 min read
A printed loan estimate form on a desk beside a calculator, a coffee cup, and a pen, the kind of paperwork behind a property valuationBuying process

What Is a Home Appraisal? (and How It Works)

This market read answers what is a home appraisal: a licensed appraiser's independent estimate of a home's value the lender relies on before funding the loan.

Updated Aug 9, 202633 min read
A closing desk with a title document, folders, a calculator, and a pen beside house keysBuying process

What Is Title Insurance? (and Do You Need It)

This market read answers what is title insurance: the one-time policy that protects your ownership against title defects, liens, fraud, and errors at closing.

Updated Aug 9, 202629 min read
The inviting front porch of a suburban home with a welcome mat and potted plants in warm lightAffordability read

No Down Payment Mortgages: Your Options

This market read maps every no down payment mortgage option, from zero-down VA and USDA loans to low-down FHA and conventional routes, plus the trade-offs.

Updated Aug 9, 202628 min read
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Every market read, grouped by the part of the buying journey it covers.

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Buying process15 guidesAffordability read15 guidesFinancing read4 guides
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Affordability calculator

Est. monthly payment$3,756Illustrative estimate including taxes & insurance. Not a loan quote.What is in a payment

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About AbodeWave

Data first, hype never

A house is the biggest number in most budgets. We treat it that way.

AbodeWave translates public, metro-level housing data into plain-language reads on affordability and timing. Every figure and calculator result on this site is illustrative and rounded to show how the math works, not a quote, an appraisal, or a promise about your own numbers.

We are writers and analysts, not your lender, agent, or financial adviser. Treat these reads as a starting point, then confirm current rates, taxes, and program rules and talk to a licensed professional before you make a decision.

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