Advice on Mortgage for First-Time House Buyers

If you are looking into buying a home, I have gathered up some useful advice concerning loans and total house value that can be of help prior to going house-hunting.

First of all, you will have to consider what price range you are looking at depending on what you can afford. In order to get the lowest interest rate on your loan, it's best if you have money saved up. The more money you have to make to make a cash down payment, the easier it will be to find a mortgage and the lower interest rate you will get. Despite this, a study conducted by the National Association of Realtors last year shows that 43% of American first-time homebuyers did not put any money down, but got a zero-down loan. The median first-time homebuyer only put down a payment of 2% when getting a mortgage! The rule here is that the more money you are able to save up before getting the home; the better, cheaper and safer it will be.

You will then have to pay monthly payments on the mortgage for an extended period of years (unless you are very wealthy). The higher monthly payments you can afford, the quicker you can pay it off and the less money you will have to spend on interest. A rule of thumb is that you can afford a home worth about three times your gross annual income, and then you have to agree on an acceptable payment plan for you mortgage. It's very important to not go above what you can afford, because if the bills take control it can be very difficult to break loose.

You can normally choose to pay back the mortgage in either 15 or 30 years. If you can afford the 15 year term, that might be the best option. You would save lots on interest, in addition to paying it off quicker. However, the 30 year term also has its advantages. You'll get lower monthly bills, and if you get a boost of income one year you can pay off extra money thus reducing the term by paying off more than necessary every month. In other words, the 15 year term will have a very high monthly pay while in the 30 year term you can pay it off sooner by paying more when you can afford to thus providing flexibility.

Make sure that the credit is good, take the time to save up some money and rather wait a year or two instead of jumping into a zero-down loan, never buy more than you can afford to pay off, and get professional help to guide you through the process.