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First Home Starter

A place to prepare, not a push to purchase

An independent buyer’s reading room

Your first home starts with better questions.

Buying is not the right next step for everyone. Understand your budget, compare the loan as carefully as the home, and leave room to walk away. This notebook helps you prepare without pushing you toward a purchase.

Open the first chapter

An original illustrated house with a warm doorway and a simple roofline
  1. Understand the household budget.
  2. Compare the loan and its conditions.
  3. Investigate the property.
  4. Review before you commit.

The homebuying chapters

  1. The homebuying steps, in order

    Prepare your finances before falling in love with a listing.

  2. Check your credit before applying

    Know what is reported and challenge errors through the proper channels.

  3. Pre-approval is preparation, not a promise

    Compare written terms and ask what still has to be checked.

  4. Plan a down payment without emptying your savings

    Cash to buy and cash to keep are different decisions.

  5. Use inspections to understand the property

    An appraisal is not a substitute for a condition inspection.

  6. Find first-time buyer help through official sources

    Read the conditions before counting assistance as cash.

  7. Read closing costs line by line

    Separate fees, prepaid items and escrow money.

  8. Decide whether renting is still the better fit

    A housing decision is not just a monthly payment contest.

  9. Prepare for closing without rushing the review

    A signature should follow understanding, not pressure.

  10. A plain-language mortgage glossary

    Translate the terms before comparing the offers.

Pencil in your own figures

No local averages or lending ratios are supplied for you.