{"id":27480,"date":"2024-11-13T04:01:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T12:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=27480"},"modified":"2025-01-24T08:26:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T16:26:12","slug":"buyer-first-time-home-buyer-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-first-time-home-buyer-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"25 First Time Home Buyer Tips to Get Your Foot in The Door"},"content":{"rendered":"

Homeownership is a dream that many people share, but with a lack of inventory, mortgage interest rates in flux and trending upward<\/a>, and home prices remaining high, buying a house right now can seem overwhelming, especially for first-timers. But there are still plenty of ways you can make it happen \u2014 like a list of first-time home buyer tips that really work, sourced from people who\u2019ve done it themselves.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve rounded up advice from top real estate agents<\/a> and spoke with a few first-time buyers who shared how they turned that impossible dream into a reality. Take a look at these tips and insight into finding your way to homeownership as a first-time buyer, as well as some things that you really shouldn\u2019t do in today\u2019s market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Step one: Talk to a few buyer's agents!<\/h3>\n

Tell us a little bit about your plans (where you’re looking to buy and when you want to make a purchase) and we’ll connect you with top-rated buyer’s agents in your area. It takes only a few minutes, and it’s free.<\/p>\n \n

\n Get Started<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n

First-time home buyer tips that work<\/h2>\n

1. Save, then save some more<\/h3>\n

While you won\u2019t necessarily need a 20% down payment <\/a>to get into your first home, you might be surprised at some of the expenses that crop up both before and after closing.<\/p>\n

First-time buyers Ben and Olivia decided to look into buying a home when their lease was up on their rental house, and they saw how their market in Boise, Idaho, was starting to move faster and faster.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe market here, which was already hot, was just getting hotter,\u201d says Olivia. \u201cWe\u2019d been saving for a house and knew we wanted to buy within the next year, so we decided to get into something now before prices went up even more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olivia says that one thing they wish they\u2019d done differently was to save a bit more money.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you buy a house and see your now-depleted bank account, that\u2019s shocking,\u201d she says. \u201cI would\u2019ve better prepared myself financially.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, how much do you need to save?<\/p>\n

Well, you\u2019ll need a down payment<\/a> \u2014 which, depending on the loan program<\/a> you go with, could be as low as 3% (or even 0% with certain government-backed programs). Then you\u2019ll have to pay closing costs<\/a>, including appraisal and inspection costs<\/a> (and don\u2019t expect the seller to chip in \u2014 more on that later!). Plus, there\u2019s the cost to move<\/a>, furnish, and customize your new home.<\/p>\n

You also want to make sure you still have some money left over. Your lender wants to see that you aren\u2019t wiping yourself out financially to buy a house, and they usually require about two months\u2019 worth of mortgage payments in your bank account as a financial cushion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What first time home buyer tips really work? We got advice from top real estate agents and talked to a few first time buyers about how they made it happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":178,"featured_media":27518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[192,621,620],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-buyers","category-home-buyer","category-buy-house"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n25 First Time Home Buyer Tips to Get Your Foot in The Door<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What first-time home buyer tips really work? 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