Allison B. Cohen Experts such as Delores Conway of USC's Lusk Center for Real Estate believe a more accurate look at how many can afford a home can be determined using adjustable-rate mortgages and a more lenient, higher income-to-debt ratio of 35%. Based on that criteria, Conway calculates that about 23% of those living in Orange County in October, for example, could afford a median-priced home, compared with the California Assn. of Realtors' projection of 13%.
