California homebuyers need to make more than $100K a year. Where are most affordable areas?
Looking to buy a home in California?
According to SmartAsset, a website that provides financial advice and information for consumers, individuals need to make at least $100,438 a year on average to afford a house in California.
However, there are 10 counties in the state where buying a home is more affordable, the site said.
How much do I need to buy a house in California?
In California, the average homebuyer will have to pay $9,124 in closing costs, according to SmartAsset.
That’s in addition to $5,232 in annual property taxes, $1,547 in annual homeowner’s insurance and $63,412 in annual mortgage payments.
Where are the most affordable places to buy a home?
SmartAsset looked at real estate taxes, mortgage rates and other factors to find the most affordable places to buy a home in California.
Each county was scored from 0 to 100, with the most affordable receiving a score of 100.
According to SmartAsset, Kern County is the most affordable place in California for homebuyers.
The Central Valley count scored a 34.52 out of 100 on SmartAsset’s affordability index.
The average homebuyer will need to make approximately $81,824 annually to afford a home in Kern County.
When buying a house in Kern County, homebuyers will spend about $2,620 in closing costs, $2,021 in annual property taxes, $1,412 in annual homeowner’s insurance and $18,137 in annual mortgage payments.
Lassen County came in second, earning a affordability score of 31.75.
To afford a home in Lassen County, the average homebuyer will need to earn approximately $66,725 a year.
When buying a house in the Northern California county, homebuyers will spend about $2,258 in closing costs, $1,731 in annual property taxes, $1,795 in annual homeowner’s insurance and $15,696 in annual mortgage payments.
San Bernardino County is the third most affordable place for homebuyers, according to SmartAsset. The county scored a 29.61 on the affordability index.
Homebuyers need to make around $99,250 to afford a house in the Southern California county. They will spend about $3,642 in closing costs, $2,812 in annual property taxes, $1,741 in annual homeowner’s insurance and $25,313 in annual mortgage payments.
Elsewhere in the Central Valley, Fresno County came in fourth place on SmartAsset’s list and Sacramento County was No. 6.
What are 10 most affordable counties for California homebuyers?
These are the 10 most affordable California counties for homebuyers, according to SmartAsset:
- Kern County
- Lassen County
- San Bernardino County
- Fresno County
- Imperial County
- Sacramento County
- Madera County
- Colusa County
- Shasta County
- Tulare County
How did SmartAsset come up with its findings?
To find the most affordable places to buy a home in California, SmartAsset analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other government sources, considering factors such as closing costs, real estate taxes, homeowners insurance and mortgage rates.
SmartAsset started by looking at all places with a population of 5,000 or more, then calculated the total cost of owning a home, based on average home prices, over a five-year period in each city.
This five-year cost was compared to the median household income in each city to determine affordability, with an emphasis on mortgage payments.
Each city was then given a score from 0 to 100, with the most affordable location scoring 100.
“The most affordable places were those in which total housing costs were smallest compared to the median income in each area,” SmartAsset said.
This story was originally published July 30, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "California homebuyers need to make more than $100K a year. Where are most affordable areas?."
