When I first met my husband I had sold my first home, a condo, and was moving into my first single family home. Our relationship became serious very fast and six months later we were engaged to be married. His townhouse had sold much more quickly than anticipated, so he had no other choice but to move into my home. But there was one problem; it wasn’t our home.
The American dream of home ownership
Soon we found ourselves house hunting again. It was fun imagining how our lives would be in each home we stepped foot in. We both knew we wanted to buy instead of rent. We wanted to have something to show for our money. We were investing in our future.
Our first home together wasn’t much to look at from the outside, but the inside was beautiful. Before long we moved again into the home where we would bring two cats and two beautiful children into.
The rates with Capital One are amazingly low right now and home prices are still very reasonable. We talk all the time about how we wish we were in the market to buy a home now, but at the very least we have refinanced to make our home more affordable.
If you are in the market for a new home, it is important to get all of the facts and figures. There are surveys, closings costs, PMI and Insurance, oh my! Thankfully Capital One has an online learning center called Home Loans Online Neighborhood which is really great, and free. There are articles and videos to help with all stages of the process, as well as a glossary of terms. Legal speak can be a bit confusing!
One of the very first tools we ever used when we started the process was an online mortgage calculator. It is a great starting point when trying to figure out your home buying budget. You’ll also want to request copies of utility bills if you are buying a pre-owned home.
We really miss house hunting. It was a really fun and rewarding experience.
If you are a homeowner, when did you buy your first home?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
We bought our first home ten years ago and got an awesome rate. It was a fun experience and we’re in the market for our next one.
We bought our first home almost 2 years ago now! It’s a condo, but we gotta start somewhere in crazy California :P
My first home was definitely a fixer upper but I loved that little 820 sq ft. house. We are now on house number 3, they all get bigger and better as we go.
These are some beautiful homes – I was an FHA Loan Officer, so am very familiar with those costs – and now I am on my 3rd home – each one has been beautiful – my first one was when I was 23 years old – had saving up half the amount, but came up short a few thousand for the closing costs (we were able to borrow quickly from family)!
A home is such an important decision. We need to get all the facts and I am glad Capital one is here to help
I just bought my first home a couple of years ago and so far Capital One has been amazing for us.
It definitely is a great feeling to own your home. To pay for something that is yours!