Homebuying 101: Everything You Should Know

Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a veteran looking for a change of scenery, the process of purchasing a home can be a complicated one. With so many steps, tasks, and requirements, you may find yourself anxious about an expensive mistake.

Our ongoing series on homebuying covers everything from understanding your credit score to determining what you can afford.

Concerned about how the pandemic will affect your experience? Check out our series on homebuying during COVID-19.

 

Mother and daughter cooking in the kitchen
Mother and daughter cooking in the kitchen

Ready to Buy a Home? Get Started With These 5 Steps

Wondering when and where to start when buying a home? If you plan to take the plunge in the next year, now is a good time to prepare.

Take these five steps to start your homebuying process.

The 5 Determining Factors in Your Credit Score

A good credit score can make your home shopping experience a lot easier. A high score, for example, may help you qualify for more loan options with lower interest rates.

But the science behind credit scores can be a little complicated. To help you (and ourselves) understand it, we break down the five factors in your credit score and why they matter.

How to Buy a Home With (Almost) No Money

Can you buy a home with no money? That question pops up a lot here at Keep. We get it, saving for a down payment isn’t easy, or possible, for everyone to do.  

The answer may surprise you. While you may not be able to buy a home with zero dollars whatsoever, you probably don’t need as much as you think. There are options that make homeownership possible with very little cash.

The Lowdown on Down Payment Assistance

Saving up for a down payment on a home? Running the numbers could make you feel like you’re running uphill.

If you’re trying to put together what’s believed to be the standard 20%, we have good news for you: The median down payment for first-time homebuyers in the United States was 7% in 2018. How did so many buyers put down such a small percentage? Many took advantage of firsttime homebuyer down payment assistance programs.

Buying a Home Remotely? Home Inspections During COVID-19

Home inspections are important, especially now that more homebuyers than ever are touring sales listings on their phone or computer and buying houses they’ve never set foot in.

A home inspection is when a certified home inspector goes through a home to check its condition inside and out. Typically, a buyer and their real estate agent would be present for all or part of an inspection – but of course, that’s all changed as of late. 

We explore how homebuyers and homeowners are handling home inspections during COVID-19

Common Closing Costs: What to Know

Closing on a home is exciting! It’s also expensive.

Closing in real estate means that the sale will be finalized and the deed for the property will be transferred from the seller to the buyer. While this is definitely something to celebrate, closing does come with some associated costs.

Check out our list of the most common closing costs.

paper plane
paper plane

Keep Up with Everything

No matter where you are on your homebuying and homeowning journey, Keep Up is a handy little newsletter designed to provide you with the latest updates, trends, tools, resources and support to ensure smooth sailing — and it’s totally free!
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