07/30/2024
Here are five tips to help you get ready to buy your first home:
1️⃣ Keep a good credit score! The higher, the better. This is a snapshot of your financial health, and lenders use this to gauge your ability to repay debts.
2️⃣ Save a down payment! The bigger the down payment, the better – the minimum down payment when less than $500,000 is 5%; between $500,000 and $999,999, you will need 5% for the first $500K and 10% for the portion above $500K, and $1 million+ you need 20% of the purchase price.
3️⃣ Keep your income stable. Lenders like to see proof that you can make your payments; a full-time job is the best way to show it.
4️⃣ Pay down existing debt. Your balances don’t need to be at $0, but how much debt you carry will affect how much you can borrow.
5️⃣ Get a mortgage pre-approval!