First Time Home Buyer Series: How Much Should I Put Down on Buying a Home? Understanding the Pros & Cons of the Downpayment

If you’ve started the home buying process and are looking for more information on the pros and cons of a low vs. high downpayment, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I will be reviewing (jump links below):– Downpayment Options– Financial Scenarios for a Low & High Downpayment– Investing the Difference: Does it …

First Time Home Buyer Series: How Much Savings Do You Need to Buy a House? Part 2/2

How Long Will It Take to Save Up for a Downpayment? How much (what %) should I be Putting Down? In Part 1 of this Post, we built a foundation to understand our level of risk tolerance, what an after-tax savings rate is, the impact it has on your saving velocity, and how long it …

First Time Home Buyer Series: How Much Savings Do You Need to Buy a House? Part 1/2

With the price of homes on the rise, the up-front cost to buy a home can be a shock to the unprepared. You may have already known that saving up to buy a home is a multi-year endeavor, but follow me as we take a deeper dive to see what you should expect to have …

Thinking Different Series: Is a Car an Asset or a Liability, Both?

Many personal finance authors take the stance that a car is a liability, and with good reason. Based on personal experience and running some numbers, I have a slightly different view, and would suggest that it is both an asset and a liability at the same time. The degree to which naturally depending on your …

First Time Home Buyer Series: Is Now the “Right” Time to Buy? A Look at Market Conditions

Market Conditions As you would expect, each regional market, as well as areas/neighborhoods within the regions are distinct and unique. The old real estate adage is “location, location, location” after all. Home prices differ vastly from San Francisco to Omaha, and are also very different from Mountain View to Oakland. So what are some of …