When Am I Ready to Buy my First Home? You have lived in apartments or dorms for way too long. You are tired of roommates and shared walls. The question is: are you ready to move into your first home? It is safe to say that most people would rather live in their own home than an apartment or condo, but not everybody is financially ready for such a big step. Whether you want to choose from manufactured homes in Utah or custom-builds in New York, make sure you are ready to take the commitment. Here are some self-assessment questions to ask yourself before you dive into the housing market.
Can You Budget? Owning a home adds a whole bunch of new expenses to your life. It can be easy to get lost in the due dates and amounts and end up missing a payment. If you want to own a home, you must be able to do the financial gymnastics that go along with it. This means keeping track of where money needs to go and when it needs to get there. You must have an organized and functioning budget to survive. As of right now, do you have a budget? If not, do you know how to set one up? Everybody has their own way of setting up a budget, so find a way that works for you. You will find this essential during homeownership.
Can You Make a Down Payment? You will typically need about 20% the cost of the house as a down payment. This means that if you are buying a $200,000 dollar home you will need at least $40,000 to get into the house. That is no small amount of money. If you are serious about buying a home, you need to be able to drop this kind of cash up front. Sure, it is possible to get around this down payment, but not without it costing you in the long run. Aside from the down payment, there are also closing costs, moving costs and the money you will spend decorating or furnishing your home.
Do You Have a Reliable Income? When you decide to buy a home you must be ready for the long-term commitment that comes with it. You must be able to pay your monthly payments for years – maybe even a decade or two. Take a long hard look at your future and determine if you will be able to continue making payments. Do both you and your spouse work? If yes, than if children are in your future will that limit your income? Be sure to consider every possibility when determining if your income is reliable.
Take Care of Business Having you own home is most definitely worth all of the hoops through which you have to jump. While it is expensive and a long-term commitment, you will be happy having your own place, your own yard and your own garage. So don’t get discouraged by these questions. They are just designed to help you gauge when you are ready to take that step. If you could confidently answer
all of these questions, then congratulations, you are probably ready for homeownership! Get out there and find a home!