First Time Home Buyer Series: Quick Overview of the Home Buying Process

For a First Time Home Buyer, the process of buying a home and all of the steps involved can seem daunting at times. All the more reason why understanding the home buying process from start to finish, at least at a high level, enables you to be in the drivers seat and know where you …

First Time Home Buyer Series: Key Differences Between Lenders

In this post we will look at the key differences between lenders, both local and national, as well as how they make money. Learn the best option for your situation.When purchasing my first home, I contacted a number of local and national banks, as well as a mortgage broker. It was surprising how different groups …

First Time Home Buyer Series: 5 Key Timelines in the Home Buying Process

In the home buying process there are multiple key timelines to stay on top of to make sure that you get everything done on time. The 5 Key Timelines in the Home Buying Process described below will help position you to be successful and worry free in your first home purchase. The last thing that …

First Time Home Buyer Series: Overextending and How I (Almost) Became Homeless

My experience almost becoming homeless taught me a great deal about what we need to be aware of when buying a home and the importance of having a stable finances. In this post, I will share a bit of my story as well as observations of what made the Great Recession so difficult for many …

First Time Home Buyer Series: 10 Key Things to Prepare for Buying Your First House

Similar to how a professional athlete trains for months and weeks in advance to get ready for a big game, so too in home buying there are many important pre-game things to do in order to be in the best “shape” to buy a home. Another reason that it is key to being properly prepared …

First Time Home Buyer Series: Is Now the “Right” Time To Buy? Understanding Your Situation

In a previous post, I dived into the market conditions that would help you understand whether now was the “right” time to buy or not. At the end of the day though, it all comes down to what your individual situation is, so let’s take a look at some of the key factors to consider …

First Time Home Buyer Series: Is My Home an Asset? A More Comprehensive Look

A home is the single largest purchase most people make in their lives, often costing multiples of what they earn in a year. People who have owned their homes for many years often sell them for a higher price than they originally purchased, but is a home really an asset though? Let’s start with a …

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 …