Somewhat harder, and the main channel is the interest rate. When inflation runs high, rates tend to run higher too, and a higher rate raises your monthly payment. A bigger payment eats into your debt-to-income ratio, the number that most often decides how much you qualify for. The qualifying rules themselves stay largely the same; the payment gets more expensive and squeezes the same ratios. A second, smaller effect: periods of high inflation and economic stress can make lenders more cautious, and some tighten their guidelines. Historically that shows up most in the jumbo space, loans that go to none of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, VA, or USDA. Jumbos sit on bank balance sheets or go to private investors, so lenders can pull back quickly when they want less risk. Government and agency programs have tightened far less in those stretches. The correlation is real but limited. Focus on the levers you control: your credit, your documented income, and your debt load, since those drive your ratios in any inflation backdrop. Nobody can promise where rates or guidelines head next, so build your plan around qualifying strength rather than trying to time the macro picture.