{"id":7923,"date":"2022-12-26T11:00:40","date_gmt":"2022-12-26T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thezakariagroup.com\/financial-fundamentals-for-first-time-homebuyers\/"},"modified":"2022-12-26T11:00:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T11:00:40","slug":"financial-fundamentals-for-first-time-homebuyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thezakariagroup.com\/financial-fundamentals-for-first-time-homebuyers\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial Fundamentals for First-Time Homebuyers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"358\" src=\"https:\/\/files.simplifyingthemarket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20104027\/financial-fundamentals-for-first-time-homebuyers-KCM-549x300.jpg\" class=\"webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image\" alt=\"Financial Fundamentals for First-Time Homebuyers | Simplifying The Market\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;\" link_thumbnail=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/files.simplifyingthemarket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20104027\/financial-fundamentals-for-first-time-homebuyers-KCM-549x300.jpg 549w, https:\/\/files.simplifyingthemarket.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/20104027\/financial-fundamentals-for-first-time-homebuyers-KCM.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 549px) 100vw, 549px\"><\/p>\n<p>Are you prepping to buy your first home? If so, one of the steps you should take early on is making sure you\u2019re financially ready for your purchase. Here are just a few of the financial fundamentals you\u2019ll need to focus on as you set out to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2022\/12\/14\/you-may-have-more-negotiation-power-when-you-buy-a-home-today\/\">buy<\/a> a home.<span id=\"more-47655\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Build Your Credit<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Your credit is one element that helps determine which home loan you\u2019ll qualify for. It also impacts your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2022\/12\/19\/mortgage-rates-are-dropping-what-does-that-mean-for-you\/\">mortgage interest rate<\/a>. While there are many factors that go into your mortgage application, a higher credit score could lead to a lower monthly payment in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>So how do you make sure your credit is in the best shape possible when it\u2019s time to buy? A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nerdwallet.com\/article\/mortgages\/tips-for-first-time-home-buyers\">recent article<\/a> from <em>NerdWallet<\/em> lists a few tips you can use as you work to build and strengthen your credit. They include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tracking your credit<\/strong> and disputing any errors that show up on your reports.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paying your bills on time<\/strong>. This includes making loan payments and paying down any open lines of credit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keeping your credit card balances low. <\/strong>Paying more than your minimum monthly balance when you\u2019re able can help.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>Automate Your Savings for Your House Fund<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>You might also be wondering how you can achieve your down payment savings goals. <em>Bankrate <\/em>provides buyers with a number of tips to help you save, including searching for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2022\/06\/29\/homeownership-could-be-in-reach-with-down-payment-assistance-programs\/\">down payment assistance programs<\/a> and ways you can save more, faster. As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bankrate.com\/mortgages\/how-to-save-for-a-down-payment\/#save\">article<\/a> says:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cOne of the best ways to save for anything \u2014 <strong>including a down payment \u2014<\/strong> <strong>is to set it and forget it. <\/strong>If you receive a regular paycheck, ask your employer to direct a portion of that payment into a savings account. If you\u2019re a freelance worker or independent contractor, set up a recurring transfer from a checking account to a savings account to establish the routine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4><strong>Get Pre-Approved<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>As you prepare for your purchase, you\u2019ll also need to have a good grasp on your budget and how much you\u2019ll be able to borrow for your home loan. That\u2019s where the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2022\/10\/24\/pre-approval-is-a-critical-first-step-on-your-homebuying-journey\/\">pre-approval process<\/a> comes in.<\/p>\n<p>Pre-approval from a lender lets you know how much money you can borrow for your home loan. And having that knowledge, plus an understanding of your savings, can help you decide on your target price range for a house.<\/p>\n<p>From there, you can start browsing for houses online and see what\u2019s available in your area in that general price point. This can help you really understand your options so you can start to picture your future home.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>For Customized Advice, Build a Team of Professionals<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Finally, the best way to make you\u2019re prepared for your purchase is to connect with trusted real estate professionals. Having expert advisors in the industry will help you make strong decisions throughout the homebuying process based on your specific goals, finances, and situation. They know the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2022\/12\/06\/whats-going-on-with-home-prices-ask-a-professional\/\">market<\/a> and can guide you toward the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplifyingthemarket.com\/2022\/12\/08\/homeownership-is-an-investment-in-your-future\/\">home of your dreams<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re ready to get the homebuying process started, let\u2019s connect so you can begin to build your team of professionals today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wpematico_credit\"><small>Powered by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wpematico.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you prepping to buy your first home? If so, one of the steps you should take early on is making sure you\u2019re financially ready for your purchase. Here are just a few of the financial fundamentals you\u2019ll need to focus on as you set out to buy a home. Build Your Credit Your credit [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101010,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[110,107,98,99],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.9.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Financial Fundamentals for First-Time Homebuyers - The Zakaria Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thezakariagroup.com\/financial-fundamentals-for-first-time-homebuyers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Financial Fundamentals for First-Time Homebuyers - The Zakaria Group\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you prepping to buy your first home? 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