The Most Important Things To Consider Before Searching For Your Future Home
When it comes to buying your first home, you need to prepare yourself financially before you start house hunting. Here are a few steps to get you started.
First, consider where you want to live. For many young adults, the location of that first home is a big consideration. Make sure the city you decide to buy in is a place you wouldn't mind staying for a while. Experts advise would-be buyers to plan on staying five to seven years.
Second, figure out how much home you can afford. To find your housing budget, you need to determine the monthly payment you'd be comfortable making. You can use a mortgage calculator to "work backward" toward your purchase price. A mortgage pre-approval is also a great way to determine how much home you can afford.
Third, know your credit score. It plays a big role in qualifying for a mortgage. Generally, the higher your score...the better the interest rate you can expect. A score of 740 or above is considered strong, but you can still qualify for a range of options with a score between 600 and 740. If you check your credit report early, you will have enough time to change any bad spending habits and correct any issues.
President Donald Trump pulled a rabbit out of his trade war hat this week, announcing a trade deal with Japan putting 15% tariffs on most Japanese imports.
Nextdoor CEO Nirav Tolia shares how the neighborhood app's redesign aims to inform, connect, and protect communities with smarter features and local insight.
Tim Bohen dives into the 'Trump Trade,' renewed tariffs, waning uncertainty, corporate guidance, and what the Fed’s next move means for traders and markets.
Wall Street icon Peter Tuchman dives into Apex Trader Funding’s partnership with Wall Street Global Trading Academy and what it means for the next-gen trader.
Matthew Frankel, contributing analyst at The Motley Fool, discusses the recent SPAC resurgence, investor interest, and what the data says about their future.
Axios’ Neil Irwin unpacks the political clash as the White House explores legal pathways to dismiss Fed Chair Powell, threatening central bank independence.