Savings Advice for Your First Home Buying Experience
Buying a home, especially your first home, is a big responsibility, which means that you need to be ready when the opportunity comes along. This means starting early on getting your funds together and making sure you have the necessary finances in order, before you start your search.
Consider Your Downpayment
First you want to think about your down payment. The larger it is, the smaller the monthly mortgage payment will be. Try starting out by saving to different funds. Keep the money separate from your regular savings so you will know exactly how much you have. Do not dip into these funds for anything. You should create funds for your down payment, insurance, attorney fees, and closing costs.
If you have to, get a part time job or do some type of hobby on the side that will give you a little extra cash. Each week, you should divide that cash up and place a little bit into each of the funds that you will need. Try to put a little more into the down payment fund since that will play a very large role in the entire
home buying process.
Start Saving
If you are planning on saving way ahead of time, then you can actually make one big decision if you live somewhere where it may be a bit more expensive. Try switching places and getting a decent apartment first that will allow you to cut back on the money you spend. Save money until you are ready to
buy a home.
Check Your Credit Report
Take this time to also go over your credit report. If there are any payments that you know you can make then it is better to go ahead and pay them off. You can bump up your credit score which will make
home buying much easier.