I also know what I’m comfortable with personally. Esp. considering how variable my income is, I wouldn’t exceed 28/37 and would probably go a bit less when I buy a home.
What I find funny are lenders that will go to a back-end of 50% of gross income. Considering take-home pay after withholdings is often only about 62% of income...that just leaves a few hundred dollars for utilities, food, gas, savings, emergencies...
Well, that depends on how much you make. Could be a few thousand dollars left over. That leftover is also a lot different for someone with 4 kids and the expenses that go with that, vs a single person who only has to support him/her self.