Hey @Tal Halperin, welcome!

Welcome Eddie!

This only takes into account the monthly payment you're trying to buy and in essence you do backwards math till you work your way into a maximum loan amount or purchase price usign this 46.99%.The backend of 56.99% or 10% higher than your front ratio of 46.99% just means you have 10% of your monthly gross income for all your other debts like car loans monthly student loans credit cards etc (other debt basically), you cannot exceed this otherwise it will reduce your front ratio vice versa (IE if your back end stuff is 20% that only leaves you 36.99% for our front ratio = total of 56.99%).You can payoff debt, get a raise at your job, you can buy down your rate, get a cheaper insurance quote, have your brother refinance your car off your name, etc (strategies to reduce your DTI to increase your borrowing power).

I’m here to contribute where useful and learn from the group.Thanks for the welcome.

Welcome and congrats on taking that first step.

Welcome! 

Melanie, welcome to the BiggerPockets community!

@Nicholas Halarhello and welcome. 

Welcome to BiggerPockets @Grant Lasley

If you’ve been in real estate for a while, you’ve probably heard people talk about Real Estate Professional Status (REPS)— but most investors still don’t fully understand what it means or how powerful it can be.Here’s the simple version:If you qualify for REPS, the IRS allows you to treat your rental income and losses as active instead of passive.That means depreciation, cost segregation, and other real estate losses can actually offset your other income — even W-2 income.For full-time investors or spouses who manage their properties, that can mean tens of thousands of dollars in tax savings every single year.To qualify, you need to:- Must materially participate in their rental activities.- Spend over 750 hours a year in real estate activities.- And more than half of your total working time must be in real estate.It’s not for everyone — and you have to document it properly — but for serious investors, it’s one of the most valuable tax tools out there.Most people think wealth in real estate comes from appreciation and cash flow…But the biggest gains often come from how you use the tax code.Curious — have you or your spouse ever tried to qualify for Real Estate Professional Status?