It comes down to the price point you target, and in a high-cost coastal market like Orange County, both numbers are substantial. The math is payment-driven, so run it this way. Start with the full monthly payment: principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and any HOA. Then back into the income. A well-qualified conventional borrower with an automated underwriting approval can go up to a 50% back-end debt-to-income ratio, so the payment plus your other debts has to fit inside half your gross monthly income. As an illustration only, a payment near $6,500 a month calls for roughly $13,000 to $14,000 in monthly income at that ceiling. On savings: conventional starts at 3% down and FHA at 3.5%, but in an expensive market many buyers put down more to keep the payment manageable. Between down payment, closing costs, and reserves, plan on a meaningful five-to-six-figure sum. The fastest way to see your real numbers is the free Roadmap conversation, about 20 minutes, where we build the price, payment, and income together.