Home Buying Guides
What buying a home actually costs and how the process runs, start to finish — down payments, loan types, closing costs, contingencies, and the cash you need on the day you sign.
20 published guides
The First-Time Home Buyer Guide
The complete first-time buyer journey for 2026 — from deciding whether to buy through getting the keys and your first year: every step and cost, FHA/conventional/VA/USDA loans, down-payment assistance, and a free calculator at each phase.
First-Time Home Buyer Questions, Answered
The 30 questions first-time buyers actually ask — how much to put down (the median is 10%, not 20%), what closing costs really run, who can pay them, when PMI ends, and what changes the month you get the keys. Sourced 2026 figures, with a calculator for every answer.
The True Cost of Buying a Home in 2026
Every cost of buying, stage by stage — the roughly $700 you spend on an inspection and appraisal before you own anything, earnest money, the 2%–5% at closing, move-in, and the first year of ownership. A master cost table links each line to the calculator that prices it.
How Much Money Do You Need to Buy a $400,000 House?
Every line of cash a $400k purchase requires in 2026 — down payment scenarios (3%, 3.5% FHA, 5%, 10%, 20%), closing costs, earnest money, reserves, and first-year costs — with the arithmetic shown. Includes $300k and $500k versions and a printable worksheet.
How to Buy a House Without a Realtor
Buying a home without an agent in 2026 — the phases of the transaction, the paperwork and who prepares it, who supports an unrepresented buyer, the real commission savings after the NAR settlement, and the risks.
What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a House?
The minimum credit score by loan type in 2026 — FHA 580 (or 500 with 10% down), conventional 620, VA and USDA — plus how your score changes your rate and PMI, and how to raise it before you apply.
FHA vs Conventional for First-Time Buyers
3.5% vs 3% down, 580 vs 620 credit score, and the mortgage-insurance difference that usually decides it: FHA MIP can last the life of the loan while conventional PMI cancels at 20% equity.
Down Payment Assistance: Grants & Programs Explained
How assistance works in 2026 — grants, forgivable second loans, repayable seconds, and mortgage credit certificates — who qualifies, how it stacks with your mortgage, and the repayment catches.
How Much Earnest Money Should You Put Down?
How much to offer (typically 1–3% of price), where it's held, when it's refundable through your contingencies, when you forfeit it, and how it's credited toward your down payment at closing.
Real Estate Contingencies Explained
The inspection, appraisal, and financing contingencies — how each protects your earnest money and gives you leverage, why deadlines matter, and what waiving them really risks.
Appraisal Came in Low? Your Appraisal Gap Options
What to do when a home appraises below your offer — renegotiate, split the difference, pay the gap in cash, or walk — plus appraisal gap coverage and how to request a reconsideration of value.
The Hidden Costs of Buying a Home
The costs first-time buyers don't see coming — closing prepaids, escrow, rising insurance, HOA dues, and maintenance — with a realistic first-year budget and sourced figures.
USDA Loans: 0% Down for Eligible Areas
How USDA guaranteed loans work in 2026 — 0% down, the 1% upfront and 0.35% annual guarantee fees, the 115%-of-AMI income limit and property eligibility, and how USDA compares with FHA and conventional.
How Much Money Do You Need to Buy a $300,000 House?
The full cash-to-close breakdown for a $300k home in 2026 — down payment options, closing costs, earnest money, reserves, and first-year costs, recalculated at the current Freddie Mac rate.
How Much Money Do You Need to Buy a $500,000 House?
The full cash-to-close breakdown for a $500k home in 2026 — down payment options, closing costs, earnest money, reserves, and first-year costs, recalculated at the current Freddie Mac rate.
How Much House Can I Afford on $60,000 a Year?
The price range a $60,000 salary supports in 2026, by down payment, with the full monthly payment behind it and every assumption shown at the current Freddie Mac 30-year rate.
How Much House Can I Afford on $75,000 a Year?
The price range a $75,000 salary supports in 2026, by down payment, with the full monthly payment behind it and every assumption shown at the current Freddie Mac 30-year rate.
How Much House Can I Afford on $80,000 a Year?
The price range an $80,000 salary supports in 2026, by down payment, with the full monthly payment behind it and every assumption shown at the current Freddie Mac 30-year rate.
How Much House Can I Afford on $100,000 a Year?
The price range a $100,000 salary supports in 2026, by down payment, with the full monthly payment behind it and every assumption shown at the current Freddie Mac 30-year rate.
How Much House Can I Afford on $120,000 a Year?
The price range a $120,000 salary supports in 2026, by down payment, with the full monthly payment behind it and every assumption shown at the current Freddie Mac 30-year rate.
Other guide categories
Selling a Home
3What it costs to sell, what commission really runs after the NAR settlement, and how to decide between selling and renting your place out.
Mortgages & Refinancing
3Loan-term and refinance decisions worked with real numbers — break-even math, total interest, and how to borrow against equity without repricing your whole balance.
Renovation & Repair
4What projects cost in 2026, where the money goes line by line, how to read and compare contractor bids, and when repairing beats replacing.
Home Systems & Energy
2HVAC, furnaces and winterization — replacement costs by system type, efficiency payback, and the repair-or-replace call.
Insurance & Taxes
2The tax credits and insurance costs that move a homeowner's yearly number, with sourced figures you're free to cite.