Be prepared: part 1 $9,125

Are you ready to get in your new home this year? Are you thinking towards the Spring of 2022? How will you get there? By being prepared. Let’s talk dollars and cents this time…

What in the world is $9,125?

Would you like to have $9,125 more towards closing costs and down payment? Find a way to save $25 each day. Maybe it’s a bagged lunch, or no every week night out with friends. Or maybe a few less lattes and a few more free office coffee. Whatever way you choose to save money, $25 times 365 days is $9,125!

Sound like a lot? It could be for most people, so here are some money saving tips: move back home to save rent money. Move in with a friend to share expenses. Sell items you don’t use regularly that you may be still making payments (second vehicles for example). Check out what those antiques, collectibles, or other valuables might be worth. Find a few more deductions this year to get a little more tax refund next year. This is all things you can control and not just gifts.

Yes, USDA and VA loans and maybe even some forms of down payment assistance do have the possibility of going to the closing table with little or nothing or even the unicorn transaction of getting some of your earnest money back! But those cases are rare, and they still don’t address the other items you still need.

You see, the bottom line is that you can’t expect to get into a home for free, no matter what the propaganda says out there. There’s moving expenses, turning on the utilities expenses, decorating expenses, etc. Your best bet to get the home you want is to show you have cash whether it’s required directly or indirectly by the loan you qualify for. The best thing you can do is plan ahead to have the cash you need to offer and buy a home with confidence and the right partners in place to do so. Start with me here.