Before stepping outside to go house hunting, you should find out how much you can afford. If you don’t know what you can afford then it is a waste of your time, as well as a real tors time, to even go looking at houses. Knowing how much you can afford will enable you to spend your time looking at only those houses in your price range. If you’re not ready for the stress and overwhelming amount of information that comes from dealing with a lender, then using a mortgage calculator to provide you with a rough idea of how large a monthly payment you can afford is a great option.