Real Estate
First-Time Homebuyer Guide: From Pre-Approval to Closing
A step-by-step guide to buying your first home: budget and DTI basics, FHA, VA, USDA and conventional loans, inspection, closing costs and the closing process.
Section
Real Estate
Renting, buying and financing a home. Our real estate guides walk first-time buyers through the process from pre-approval to closing, compare fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages, and show how to weigh renting against buying with real numbers.
3 articles
Real Estate
Renting vs. Buying a Home: How to Run the Numbers
Compare the full cost of owning and renting with a worked $400,000 example, break-even horizons under three price-growth scenarios, and non-financial factors.
Real Estate
Fixed-Rate vs. Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Explained
How fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages differ: index, margin, rate caps, 5/1 vs. 7/1 ARMs, a worked payment example, and who each loan type tends to suit.