When you’ve gotten a pre-approval from your mortgage lender, you’re ready to start shopping for a home. While your pre-approval tells you how much the bank thinks you can afford, many first time buyers in particular wonder if they should actually spend as much as they’ve been approved for.

The first thing to note is that a bank takes your Gross Debt Ratio and Total Debt Ratio into consideration when determining how much money they will lend you.

Theoretically, you can afford to spend what you’ve been pre-approved for, but there are some other things you should think about when determining if you want to spend it all.

Determining How Much of Your Mortgage Approval Amount to Spend

While you may be tempted to spend your full pre-approval amount to get the best home available to you, there are some other things that you should consider when you take a look at your total expenses:

1. Would you need to make cutbacks? – Even if your full mortgage amount is under 40% in your total debt ratio, there are many other expenses not calculated by the bank. Take a look at all of your other fixed and variable expenses and determine if you’d need to make cutbacks to live comfortably with that mortgage amount. Remember, your expenses can include things like your grocery bill, the cost of children’s activities, and eating out.

2. Are you willing to change your lifestyle? – If you would need to make cutbacks to spend the full mortgage amount, take a look at what you would be willing to give up, if anything. For some, it may be worth the sacrifice to get a “better” home. For others, it may be preferable to spend less on the home and maintain status quo in other aspects of life.

3. Are your expenses likely to change? – Remember, your pre-approval amount is based on your current income level and debts. It might be affordable today, but if you have intentions to leave your job or take on new expenses, the affordability may change quickly.

Once you’ve considered all of the above factors, it’s up to you to determine how much you’re comfortable spending. Don’t feel pressure to spend it all, but if that number is a comfortable one, then getting shopping for a property of that value!