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Your first-home starting line

You don’t need every answer.
You need the next step.

Follow the home-buying process in order, translate the jargon as it appears, and run the money through a reality check before anyone asks you to sign something.

Start the 12-step roadmap Try the affordability tool

No pressure, no lead form. Educational guidance only—not financial, legal, tax, or real-estate advice.

FIRST-HOME WORKBOOK / PAGE 01 Start with what happens next
YOU’RE
NOT LATE
12-step roadmap Progress saves in your browser

Start here: decide whether buying fits your life and budget—not whether a bank might approve you.

Money reality check Payment ≠ full housing cost
  • Principal + interest
  • Taxes + insurance
  • Repairs + reserves
JARGON ALERT Word of the page Escrow

A holding account or neutral arrangement used for money and documents until agreed conditions are met.

Open all 40 terms
Before you browse homes
  • Know the monthly number you can live with
  • Keep cash beyond the down payment
  • Learn which contingencies protect you

The signature move

A path through all 12 steps

Check off steps as you go. Your progress is saved right in your browser — come back anytime.

1 Decide you're actually ready
4 Save for down payment + closing costs
8 Make an offer
12 Final walkthrough & closing day — get the keys
See the full 12-step roadmap →

Nine guides, zero fluff

Whatever's stressing you out, there's a guide for it

The 12-Step First-Time Buyer Roadmap Every stage of buying your first home, broken into 12 manageable steps — what happens, what to watch for, and the rookie mistake to dodge at each one. How Much House Can You Actually Afford? The 28/36 rule, explained honestly — plus why what a bank approves you for and what you should actually spend are two very different numbers. Closing Costs, Explained Like You're Five What every line item in your closing costs actually pays for, roughly how much to budget, and who typically pays what. Pre-Qualified vs. Pre-Approved (and Why It Matters) Two terms that sound almost identical but mean very different things to a seller — and why showing up with the wrong one can cost you a house. Earnest Money: The Deposit Nobody Explains What earnest money actually is, how it protects (and doesn't protect) you, and exactly how you could lose it if you're not careful with contingencies. Renting vs. Buying: The Honest Math No dogma, just break-even thinking — when buying actually pays off, when renting genuinely wins, and a simple worked example to run your own numbers. Fixed vs. ARM Mortgages for Normal Humans What a fixed-rate and an adjustable-rate mortgage actually are, when an ARM is a genuinely sane choice, and how to read a rate cap without a finance degree. The Home Inspection: Your $400 Superpower What a home inspector actually checks, how to tell a real red flag from cosmetic nitpicking, and how to negotiate repairs after the report lands. You Got the Keys. Now What? First-Year Owner Checklist Utilities, a maintenance calendar, your emergency fund, and the escrow surprises nobody warns first-time owners about.
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How much house can you afford?

Plug in your numbers, get a comfortable / stretch / bank-max range in seconds.

 40 terms

The glossary

Every confusing term, defined in one plain sentence, alphabetized for you.