Buying a house can be daunting—especially if you’ve never done it before. Luckily, we’re here to help. Here’s a quick overview of buying a house for first-time homebuyers. First, we’ll go over key concepts, including a down payment, realtor, broker, mortgage, and more. Then, we’ll give you a checklist for buying a house that breaks down the process step by step. By the end, you’ll feel much more confident buying a house for the first time.
Table of Contents
Buying A House: Vocab
Mortgage
Houses are expensive! So, as a first-time homebuyer, you will probably need to take out a loan to afford your house. This loan is called a mortgage. You need to apply for the mortgage, meeting various requirements to show you can afford to repay it. You’ll pay off the mortgage in installments—and, if you fail to keep up with payments, your lender can foreclose on your property.
Down Payment
A down payment is the initial payment you make for a purchase like a house. You’re typically expected to pay 20% of the value of the house upfront as a down payment. First-time homebuyers often pay down payments that are less than 20%. But the more you can pay in your down payment, the less you’ll need to pay in interest over time.
Interest Rate
The mortgage you take out to buy your house will have an interest rate. The interest rate represents the additional money you’ll pay your lender over time, beyond the value of the money you borrowed (also called the principal). The amount of interest you pay depends on how much of the mortgage you still owe. Thus, expect to pay less in interest with each paid mortgage payment. With some mortgages, your interest rate will always be the same. With others, it might change over time.
Closing Cost
If you’re buying a house for the first time, budgeting is key. Beyond the down payment, another expense to prepare for is the closing cost. These costs include fees that lenders charge, as well as taxes you need to pay as a first-time homebuyer. Expect these costs to be around 2% to 5% of the home’s purchase price.
Real Estate Agent
A real estate agent is a licensed professional you might work with when you buy your first house. If you’re buying a house, you’ll have a buyer’s agent working with you. Listing agents represent people selling houses.
Not everyone hires a real estate agent, but most people do. Real estate agents help with tasks like finding houses that match your needs, negotiating offers for the home, managing paperwork, and more. In exchange for their services, the real estate agent will earn a commission, or a portion of the home’s sale price.
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Broker
A broker is a real estate agent who has an additional broker license, giving them more in-depth knowledge of the real estate industry. Many brokers are responsible for managing real estate agents. If you work with a real estate broker when buying your first house, they will help you with many of the same tasks as a real estate agent.
Realtor
A realtor is a real estate agent who belongs to the National Association of Realtors, a professional association governed by a code of ethics.
Buying A House: Checklist
1. Budget
The first step on the checklist for first-time homebuyers is to save up and determine your budget.
According to recent estimates, expect to pay around $240,000 for a typical starter home. You should earn at least $76,000 per year to afford this house. However, these numbers can vary a lot depending on the cost of living in your city.
Figure out how much you can afford to pay as a down payment. While some people pay as little as 3% of the purchase price as a down payment, making a larger payment will save you a lot of money in the long run.
2. Check Mortgage Requirements
To get a mortgage for a house, you’ll need to meet several requirements. Make sure you can qualify for a mortgage before you go any further in becoming a first-time homebuyer.
One key requirement for a mortgage is proof of a stable income. You should be able to show that you’ve been steadily earning money for the past few years. In addition, lenders may require you to have enough savings to cover a few months of mortgage payments.
Check your credit score. 620 to 640 is usually the minimum credit score required for lenders to work with you. In addition, figure out your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. Your DTI ratio is the percent of your income that you use to pay off debts and interest each month. The lower your DTI, the more likely you are to get a mortgage.
3. Look At Mortgage Options
Next on the checklist for buying a house is to look into your options for mortgages.
The most popular type of loan is a conventional loan. This sort of loan requires a higher credit score and a lower DTI than many other types of loans. There are also jumbo loans, larger loans with even higher requirements that are more common in areas with very high housing costs.
If you can’t afford these types of loans, look into government-backed loans, which will let you get loans with a lower credit score. If you are military-affiliated or moving to a rural area, you qualify for special types of government-backed loans.
All of these types of loans come with different requirements and interest rates. See which options work best for your qualifications and budget.
Lastly, once you are set on your budget and mortgage option, get pre-approved for a mortgage. After you get pre-approved, you’ll know which homes you can afford. In addition, you’ll be in a stronger position to bargain for house prices.
4. Shop For Houses
Next up on the checklist for buying a house is to figure out your priorities for your house, like the size, condition, or school district. These priorities will help you decide which properties to view.
Find a real estate agent, broker, or realtor who can help you hunt for houses and set up viewings. As a first-time homebuyer, you should see a variety of houses so you can become familiar with your options.
5. Make An Offer
When you’re ready to buy a house for the first time, you should make an offer on the house. Your real estate agent will help you with this step as well. Your offer letter should include the price of the house, as well as all other aspects of the agreement you’ve made with the sellers.
If the seller accepts your offer and signs an acceptance, your contract will become legally binding. If the seller wants to amend the offer, they may make a counteroffer—which you can respond to. For example, they may want to change the purchase price of the house. Lastly, the seller may reject the offer. You can choose to accept this rejection or to make another offer.
Your offer should include clauses that allow you to back out of the offer depending on the findings of your home inspection and appraisal.
6. Home Inspection, Appraisal, and Closing
After your offer is finalized, you should get a home inspection. A home inspector will look for problems in the house, such as issues with roofing or electricity. They will present you with a list of items that need to be fixed.
If any of these items are serious, you can ask the seller to fix them before you close on the house. For more minor matters, you will need to repair them yourself after closing on the house.
After the inspection, you should also get a home appraisal, which is an estimate of the current value of the house. Lenders will not give you more money than the value of the house, so if your appraisal returns a lower value than your offer, you may need to change the amount of your down payment or re-negotiate your offer.
Before you close on the house, do a final walkthrough to make sure everything is in order, that repairs have been made, and that the seller has not left any items.
Now, you’re ready to close on your house. For this step, you may wish to hire an attorney who can make sure that the paperwork is correct and favorable to you.
Before you close, your lender will give you a Closing Disclosure that informs you of the amount you’ll need to pay when you close and gives you the finalized details about your loan. When you meet to close on the house, you will need to pay your down payment and closing costs and sign the mortgage. Expect closing to take a while—over a month or more.
7. Move
Congratulations! You are now a first-time homebuyer. The last item on the checklist for buying a house is to get started on the logistics of moving, including terminating your current lease, changing your address, packing, determining your moving date, and setting up utilities in your new house.
Once you know when you want to move, think about hiring movers, who can make your move into your first house run smoothly. After you move, expect to spend a while setting up the house, then you’ll be done. Throw a housewarming party to celebrate!
Conclusion
Now you’re much better prepared to buy a house for the first time. Key terms to know when buying a house include the concept of a mortgage, interest rate, down payment, closing cost, real estate agent, broker, and realtor. Before you buy a house, figure out a budget, and look into your options for loans. Then check to make sure you meet the requirements for a mortgage. Shop around for houses, and make an offer on your favorite house. Then, set up a house inspection and appraisal before you close on the house. Lastly, it’s time to make the final move itself. Good luck!
FAQs
First-time homebuyers should follow a checklist for buying a house. Steps on the checklist include determining a budget, checking requirements for a mortgage, and looking at mortgage options. The next steps include shopping for houses, making an offer, and getting a home inspection and appraisal before closing. Lastly, first-time homebuyers need to figure out the moving logistics.
A mortgage is a loan that enables many first-time homebuyers to buy a house. The sum of money that the homebuyer will need to pay initially is the down payment on the house.
Sophie Pollack-Milgate has a day job as a research assistant. In her free time, she likes to read 10% of the library books she checks out, complain about how either ice or heat are ruining her runs (depending on the season), and modify recipes beyond recognition.
