When you decide to buy a house, it is important that you have money saved. Not only will you need money for closing costs, you are going to need to be able to put as much money down as possible. In fact, the higher your down payment is, the more money that you can spend on a home.
Especially if you want to be able to buy the best home that you can (and live there for a long time), it is important that you start saving for a down payment now. Here are some tips to help you start saving!
1) Start putting money into a savings account every month. Since you are going to need to start preparing yourself to pay a mortgage, you should start putting that much money into a special account every month. Not only will you be able to watch your down payment grow, you will also be able to see how much you can realistically spend monthly on a mortgage.
2) Set up a budget (and stick to it). Another way to see how much money you can spend on your mortgage is by starting a budget. After figuring out how much money you make, you can start allotting money for your different expenses. Don’t forget your rent, any loans that you have, any credit card bills that you pay, groceries, gasoline for your vehicle, electric, and much more.
3) Figure out what expenses you can get rid of (or at least decrease!). Setting up a budget can be a real eye-opener. You might find places where you are wasting money. Are you paying for full cable yet you don’t watch much television? Are you going out to eat almost every night when you could save money by cooking at home?
4) Cutting back on expenses is good, but what you do with the extra money matters the most. Maybe you can add this extra money to your savings account. Cutting back and saving can really help to increase the amount of money for your down payment. Even an extra hundred dollars a month can really add up.
5) If you are serious about having a good down payment, you might want to think about getting a second job (or working overtime at your regular job). Even if you only do this for a few months, you will be amazed at how quickly you can grow your down payment savings account.
6) It is also a good idea to work hard to get out of debt. Credit card debt can make it feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to saving money. You might want to start by working on your debt and then saving some money. It may help to transfer your funds to a low (or no) interest card so you can really start to see the amount of debt you have go down.
When you are trying to pay off your debt and start saving, you need to remember that it will all be worth it once you are in a home that you can be proud of. There are going to be times when you are going to be tempted to start spending money instead of saving. You are going to want to throw someone you love a nice birthday party. You might get asked to be in a wedding, which comes with a lot of other expenses.
Though you want to spend money, you don’t have to go overboard with it. Always remember the end goal. You want a life without debt and money saved for a good down payment. That is more important than spending way too much on one occasion!
Saving money for a down payment can be really hard. The best thing that you can do is put money into a special account every month. By coming up with a budget, you might even find more places where you can cut back, putting more money into the account on a regular basis. If money is tight, a second job might be the answer, even if you only do it for a few months to get ahead. Every bit counts.
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Trelora real estate serves the Colorado Front Range, Summit County and Seattle Metro Area and our mission is simple: full service real estate for a fraction of the cost. When you hire a traditional agent to help you buy or sell your home, man cave or no, you pay that agent 3-6% of the home’s value.
When you hire Trelora, you pay just 1% to sell your home. You’ll also get best-in-class customer service, and a team of expert agents who close hundreds of deals per year. And keep in mind, especially if you’re moving or you have friends in other states, that Trelora can help you in Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Raleigh, Sacramento, Seattle and Tucson. In the meantime, please stay healthy and safe.
Brady Miller, CFA is Chief Executive Officer at Trelora, Inc. Brady joined Trelora in August, 2018 as Chief Financial Officer. He moved into his current role later that year and is responsible for all daily operations and growth of the broader real estate business. Prior to joining Trelora, Brady was Chief Financial Officer of Leeds West Groups which is one of the largest, and fastest growing automotive retailers in America. Brady managed their real estate portfolio, financing, human resources, and accounting. He earned a Charted from the CFA Institute in 2016 and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder where he majored in Finance and Real Estate.