Mortgage Planning
Inflation and Housing Costs What to Model
This inflation and housing costs what to model guide covers which costs can rise, shares simple 2–3% examples over a few years, and shows how to test scenarios without treating them as forecasts.
Published: January 1, 2026 · Updated: January 1, 2026 · By FinToolSuite Editorial
Open the stress tester
Model higher taxes or maintenance in a second scenario and compare outputs.
Disclaimer
- Educational only. Example growth rates are illustrative. No guarantees.
Costs that can rise
Property taxes, insurance, utilities, and maintenance can change over time. Testing higher assumptions helps you see potential stress.
Simple example
If maintenance is $150/month and grows 3% yearly, it becomes about $154 in year two and $159 in year three. These are not forecasts, just illustrative stress cases.
How to test
Save a baseline scenario, duplicate it, increase taxes or maintenance by a few percent, rerun, and compare DTI tails and safe loan directionally.
FAQs
Should I model inflation on income?
You can test income scenarios separately; keep assumptions clear.
Can I stack multiple increases?
Test one change first, then combine if helpful, keeping labels clear.
Where is privacy info?
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Test higher costs
Open the mortgage affordability stress tester, raise one cost by a few percent, and compare outputs.