Tell me about yourself
The more honest you are here, the more useful the analysis. Everything stays in your browser — nothing is stored or shared.
First time buying?
We use your income and savings to check if the numbers actually work, your job situation to assess risk, and your household profile to adjust advice for your life stage. There are no wrong answers — honest inputs give better advice.
Helps assess job stability, income trajectory, and federal employment exposure
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Include partner/spouse if buying together
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Cash + investments available for down payment
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Student loans, car, credit card minimums
Job & Income Stability
Household Profile
What does your ideal life look like?
This shapes both the advice and the alternative area recommendations. There are no wrong answers — be honest about what you actually want, not what you think sounds responsible.
What matters most to you in a neighborhood — select all that apply
Walkability & Urban Feel
Walkable to everything
Metro / transit access
Restaurant & bar scene
Prefer suburban calm
Rural / waterfront escape
Family & Community
Top school districts matter
Parks & outdoor space
Young professional community
Family-oriented neighborhood
Diverse, mixed neighborhood
Commute & Work
Fully remote — commute irrelevant
Commute to DC core
Commute to NoVA (Rosslyn/Tyson's)
Commute to Baltimore
Near federal campus/agency
Lifestyle & Character
Arts / creative scene
Water / Chesapeake access
Quiet, residential character
Emerging / up-and-coming
Established, stable area
Investment potential matters
In your own words — what are you looking for?
This gets fed directly into your personalized analysis — the more specific, the better the advice
Your current rent situation
Where you'd rent instead of buying matters enormously for the comparison. Most calculators ignore this — we don't.
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Renting in Bethesda vs. Hyattsville are very different opportunity costs — be specific
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What you'd pay for equivalent space in your preferred rental area
Ownership Goals
The property you're considering
ZIP code and asset type drive the appreciation model. A condo in downtown Baltimore and a townhouse in Montgomery County are completely different investments — be precise.
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5-digit ZIP — matched to local appreciation rates & neighborhood data
Single Family Home
Townhouse / Rowhome
Condo / Co-op
Semi-Detached
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3.5% FHA · 5–10% low-down · 20% avoids ?PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) is an extra monthly fee — typically $50–200/mo — charged when your down payment is under 20%. It protects the lender, not you. It disappears once you've paid down 20% of the home's value.PMI
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Enter 0 if none. Critical for condos.
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MD ~1.1% · DC ~0.85% · VA ~0.95%
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~0.4–0.6% of value typically
Property Condition
Established / stable
Improving / up-and-coming
Peak / fully priced in
Transitional / uncertain
Life factors that actually move the needle
The math only tells part of the story. These determine whether the numbers actually apply to you.
Timeline & Flexibility
Financial Flexibility
Motivation & Concerns
10-Year Net Position — Buy Path vs. Rent + Invest Path ?Net position = what you'd walk away with financially. Buy path: home sale proceeds minus all costs paid. Rent path: your invested down payment minus all rent paid. When the green line crosses above gold, buying has won.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
How does this change under different scenarios? ?Each cell shows how much better or worse buying is vs. renting at year 5, if the market plays out differently. Green = buying wins. Red = renting wins. Your actual scenario is in the middle column.
Each cell shows the difference in your financial position at year 5 if appreciation or rent growth is higher or lower than expected. Green = buying wins that scenario. Red = renting wins. The middle column/row is your actual scenario.
Your Personalized Analysis
Generating your personalized analysis...