how do i know when i am ready to buy my first home?

Question

My husband and I dont make too much money, probably about $60K combined, and have no kids. We want to purchase a home ASAP. How did any homeowners out there know when they were ready to make that step?

Answer 1

My husband and I thought we would never be ready to buy a home...too many college loans. But we checked our credit one day and found out that we had really good credit. So we talked to our loan officer and found out that we could be approved for a lot more then we thought. We ended up buying a home for about half of what we were approved for and about $400 more a month then we were paying in rent. We got rid of our extra car to make up the difference and we actually have more money left over each month then we did when we rented. Plus, I know everytime I write that mortgage payment that I am just paying my self in equity in my home.

If you want to know how much home you can afford gather all of your monthly bills together and your pay studs and read this article. Click on the link to their mortgage calculator...it's pretty accurate: http://www.banking.us.hsbc.com/personal/mortgage/homebuyersguide/howmuch.html

Just remember when you get a pre-qual from your bank, that they are very generous. You'll want to factor in things like clothes, vacations, rtirement and short term savings and anything else you spend a lot on each year.

Answer 2

Affordability is the simplest way of describing what you ask. You already feel it is an appropriate goal for you and your family. Apartment or other kinds of rental living may be at the point that it offers no benefits while the investment in real estate looks better.

And THAT is the best secondary answer. Once you have determined that you CAN afford the costs associated with home ownership, the investment benefit can be a form of security for your family's future. Money paid into rent goes into your landlord's pocket. Money paid towards your mortgage is money paid back into your pocket. Twenty to thirty years after you move into your house, YOU own it. Not the bank and certainly not the landlord.

To begin with, you shouldn't be paying more than half your combined salaries for either rent or house payment. Even less is better. That means, your total mortgage payments shouldn't exceed $2500 per month, with your income. And, again, less is better.

How you find a deal with that kind of mortgage depends on three main factors. The purchase price of the house, the down payment you can place, and the interest rate. There can be no general advice on any of this because regional differences drive many of these things.

But, in general, the more you can put down, the less you have to finance, and the lower your monthy payment. Only you can determine how much you can put down. You will get all kinds of advice and will be told about minimum percent to put down, but, unless there is no other way to finance, you want to put down as much as you can afford.

The more you put down, the better interest rate you can demand. The bank doesn't want your house, so, if they have to lend you less, the better interest rate you can talk them into. A lower interest rate can mean a lower monthly payment, and, equally important, it also means that you will start building equity (financial value) into your house.

So, work out how much cash you can come up with as a down payment. Make a list of what you absolutely need in a house. (bedrooms, square footage, etc) Think about the size of your family and it's potential growth. If you have ANY children, then a one bedroom is not the way to go. A baby is small, but will grow. If you have more than one, such as a boy and a girl, then even a one bedroom will not suit you guys for very long.

Look at your local housing market and contact a realtor. Between what you see available in your area, and the advice you get from a realtor, you can decide if you are ready to go into the market. In some areas of the country, $60k may be plenty to live on, with a mortgage. In other parts, it may not be half enough.

I think your cash availability and credit history will be the determining factors.

Answer 3

I know when I bought my first house it was very nerve racking. We kept thinking "what if we get in over our head", "what if we can't afford the home we want" My opinion now that I have bought 4 homes is that it is the best decision that I have ever made.

The thing about real estate is that it always goes up in value, sure it will dip and slow but statistically it will always trend up. Why, well there is only so much land out there and our population is continuing to grow.

There are tax benefits to owning a home that you would not have if you were renting and then ofcourse there is the pride of owning your own home. Nothing feels better than being able to call a place your home :)

I would suggest not biting off more than you can chew, especially if this if your first home. Maybe a fixer upper, a older home etc. Regardless, it sounds like you would have the income for a house in most parts of the country, and ofcourse if this is your first home there are first time buyer programs out there.

In my opinion there really is not much of a down side to buying your own home, unless you bite off more than you can shew :)

Hope that helps,

Owen Hammond
Director of Sales and Marketing
North American Funding
www.nafaz.com

Answer 4

Hey there,
I'm in the same boat (and also a sox fan!!!). I was told that unless you have at least 10% of your purchase price (I'm going to just assume you're looking in the 250-300K range, which would be 25-30K) for a down payment, you may want to wait a bit longer, They do have 80/20 morgatages which will give you money for a down payment, but it may make your morgatage payment more than you can afford. You can get first time home buyers credits, and you can probably find more credits, but I'd say wait until you have at least $10,000 or more saved up for a down payment. Other than that, I'd say you're ready when you know what you need to know about home repair (no calling the landlord when your toilet won't flush!) and maintenence, and when you're ready to stop paying someone else's morgatage for them!
Good luck!

Answer 5

Hi there,
I work for a mortgage brokerage and I think you should do a lot of research before you commit to something as huge a buying a house. I recommend going through professionals who can help you. Go look at some of the homes that are for sale in the area you want to live in to get a feel for the costs. If you go through a mortgage broker to get funding, they will have to pull your credit report. If you go to a bunch of places, they each will pull your credit, and your score will drop. Therefore, I would say do a little research on the company before you let them pull credit. Check the better business bureau. Check out this website which can give you more info...it's my works website. good luck.
https://www.capitalexpresslending.com/
I suggest calling a realtor who can really help you find what you want. Good luck

Answer 6

You shouldn't do this until you have up to 20% to put down as a deposit. Also, it's generally good practice to have at least 1/3 of your annual income saved up as an emergency fund--for any kind of emergency. Do your homework too as far as financing goes. You don't want to get stuck in a position like a lot of people are today, where they stretched their finances further than they could see forward, when interest rates went up on their ARMs.

I'd say that the best thing to do would be to sit down in a bank or seek out a finance-specific website. Just remember that with free information, you get what you pay for.

Also, keep an eye out for foreclosures. There may be a lot out there because of the market and interest rates. For the most part, I'm sure a lot of them will be run-down, but there's always one. You can search newspapers and the municiple building for these records.

This current market is a buyer's market as well. In other words, there are a lot of people out there who bought too late in the building boom where they thought they would be able to turn a big profit in a few months/years. Obviously (while the market didn't collapse) it didn't hold up to their expectations.

A lot of new home builders also offer MAJOR incentives to buy with them. For example, I know one bulder who is offfering a finished basement and a morning room for free if you sign up with their mortgage company. I don't know what their rates are, but I know that those upgrades can be worth up to $30k. Some builders also offer to take care of your closing costs if you buy with them and use their financing agents.

Are there raises in the future at either of your jobs? Are either of you familiar with carpentry or have any friends who are good with their hands? How about a duplex that needs work? A duplex is a home with two separate living areas. You can live in one, and rent out the other. The rent you charge can usually make up for what you're paying in mortgage payments.

Also, run some cost of living formulas abnd see whether or not renting or buying makes more sense in the areas you're lookingto live. You can find these ALL over the internet, and you just plug in a few numbers. Just google cost of living.

There's a lot of things to consider when taking a step this big. Please make sure that you explore ALL of your options, seek out foreclosures and deals, ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS POSSIBLE and get ready to save. It may get a little hairy while you're trying to make ends meet, so be prepared for that as well.

Best of luck to you and your husband.

Answer 7

If both of you are debt free and can afford mortgage, utility bills, property taxes, food, gas and hoa fees, then you're ready to buy a house. Depending on where you're planning to buy this house, you need to calculate the expenses verses the earnings that you guys make annually. By looking at both of your income combined, I don't think you can afford much. My husband and I make over $110,000 and we still can't afford a house in the city that I want to live.

Answer 8

As housing market continues to slump, if you don't plan to delay your plan, please interview several and pick a good realtor or agent.

Bad ones will talk you into buying the largest property at your credit limit. Good ones will find you a good deal (Sellers are offering discount and incentives now).

Try to stay away from Adjustable Mortgage, because 30 year fix mortgage rate is very low right now. There is no reason to use Adjustable loans except fatter commission for loan agents.

Interests only loans are not good iether. Mortgage payment consists of two parts: interests and principal. Interests are like rent, which doesn't add to the equity to your house. It simply disappear as your pay it. If you want to use interests only loans, might as well rent, especially during market downturn, because housing price won't appreciate.

Finally, for tax benefits, talk to your CPA or tax accountant. Do not consult finance with realtors or agents. They get commissions when you sign the check!

Good luck!

This article gives you tips on negotiation:
http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/060909/19463.html

Articles about current market:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/25/news/economy/homesales2/index.htm?postversion=2006092513
http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/08/real_estate/caught_in_the_bubble/index.htm?postversion=2006090814

Rent vs. Buy as Housing Market Continues to Slump

As housing market slump, it is easier to calculate "Rent vs. Buy" scenario. Because "appreciation" is no longer a factor.

Mortgage payment consists of two parts: interests and principal. Interests are like rent, which doesn't add to the equity to your house. It simply disappear as your pay it.

If interests portion of the mortgage payment is roughly equal to rent of equivalent property, then it is a decent buy.

For example, let's buy a $500,000 condo with 0% down and apply interests only loan (just like renting a place). Mortgage payment would be $3250/month. It is a bad buy, because you can enjoy same property for $2000/month.

Please note that I assume the tax benefits from home cancel out fees from home association and property tax. For more accurate calculation, consult with your CPA or accountant. But NOT your realtor, whom will say anything to get the deal to go through.

And again, if you like a particular property, then paying more may be reasonable. You are the only person who can decide how much more premium you are willing to pay.

Answer 9

if you can comfortable afford your mortgage payment and up keeping your house. this really don't have nothing to do with how much money you save for down payment.
if your mortgage payment, tax and insurance is below 40%- you should be OK and those payments and your other debts should not be more then 50% of your income.

Answer 10

sit down and figure out your finances. you might have to give up going out for awhile and some other extras. but it is worth it. if you can afford the monthly mortgage and have a some left over to pay other bills and a little extra, you should be ready.