Buying your first home counts as one of life's rites of passage. It's an exciting time, but it's also fraught with some legitimate concerns. It's best to deal with those concerns before you get too involved in the process. This allows you to make better decisions overall. Here are some factors to keep in mind as you're moving through the pre-buying process.

Determine Your Price Range

Probably the biggest factor in your home-buying venture is price. You'll have to determine how much money you can afford to pay for a home mortgage each month. While it's natural to want to dream a bit when you're buying your first home, it's easy to get carried away with these feelings. If this happens, you could wind up trying to buy a home you can't afford. It's better to find a home that doesn't force you to pay more than you currently do for rent. It's even better if you find a home that costs less.

Mortgage and Down Payments

Many banks require you to have at least 20% of the home's purchase cost to put down before they even think about lending you money. However, that can be a significant amount for someone to put aside. For example, if you want to buy a home worth $300,000, you're looking at a $60,000 down payment. If you find yourself in this predicament, you may want to look for a lender who will work with you and accept a down payment closer to 5%.

There are several advantages of a 5% down-payment, but determine what's right for you. Here's a look at a few of them. First, you don't have to wait quite as long to build up savings if you pay 5% down. On a $300,000 home, that's $15K instead of $60K. That's a much easier amount to set aside. Second, if you get into a home quicker, then you're paying to own a home instead of paying rent. You're contributing to an investment. Finally, paying this amount also allows you to keep more money in savings, which can come in handy come home improvement time. Keep these advantages of placing a 5% down-payment in mind.

Get Your Credit in Order

Unless you're paying for a house outright, you're probably going to have to borrow money. Start getting a handle on your credit score long before you start the buying process. It isn't unreasonable to plan on working on your credit for a year or two if you have some problems

with your credit.

While this thought may seem like a lot of work, it'll be worth it come buying time. A solid credit score will only help you, especially if you want to pay a lower amount down. A banker will be more inclined to lend you money if they know that you have a good payment history.

Buying your first home comes with a lot of challenges. Factors like home prices, down payment and credit scores all play a role. Your best bet is to do your research and start getting your finances in order. Doing this will help you regardless of where you are in the home-buying process.

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How to pick the right homeowners insurance

(BPT) - If you're like many Americans, your home may be your most valuable asset. That's why it's so important to protect it with homeowners insurance. Plus, it's probably a requirement of your mortgage. Setting up your coverage the right way starts with understanding the major parts of a homeowners policy.

Consider the following information and tips from the USAA Home Learning Center:

Dwelling protection

This protection covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home if it's damaged or destroyed. When you select the amount, keep in mind the cost to rebuild your home is different from its market value.

It's important to get the dwelling coverage right and to monitor it over time to make sure it keeps up with construction costs to rebuild. Under most homeowners policies, if you file a claim and have underinsured your home, your payout may be reduced.

Some insurers will help you estimate the rebuilding cost. They take into account the features, materials and finishes that make your home unique.

Personal property protection

This protection covers your furniture, clothing and pretty much everything else inside your home. Most policies set the amount of personal property protection as a percentage of the dwelling coverage.

It may not be enough, though. Homeowners plans set limits on certain high-value items. If you own expensive jewelry, art, guns, stamps, furs, cameras, computers, silver or collectibles, you'll want to consider buying valuable personal property insurance. This is sometimes called a "personal articles floater."

When you set up your homeowners policy, you may have to make an important choice about how to reimburse losses. There are two approaches:

• Replacement cost. This coverage is the amount needed to replace the property with a comparable, new item.
• Actual cash value. This coverage considers depreciation in the value of your property. If your 10-year-old couch is destroyed, you'd receive what it was worth at the time of loss, not the money you'd need to buy a new one.

To make your recovery from a loss as smooth as possible, replacement cost coverage is recommended.

Liability coverage

This is one of the most important and least appreciated forms of protection offered through homeowners coverage. It protects you if you're found to be at fault for someone's injury or property damage. It even covers you for non-automobile incidents away from your home. Generally, it also covers your legal costs associated with such claims against you.

As a rule, your liability coverage should at least be equal to the total value of your assets for both your homeowners and auto insurance. If your assets are higher than the maximum coverage allowed under the policy, consider purchasing umbrella insurance to cover the difference. This is important to protect the savings and other assets you've worked hard to acquire.

Deductibles

As with other types of insurance, a deductible is the part of a loss that you're responsible for covering out of your own pocket. The higher your deductible, the lower your monthly premium.

Choosing a higher deductible can save you money with a lower monthly premium but increases the risk you take. Consider the amount of cash you typically have on hand in your emergency fund or checking and savings accounts. Make sure you can cover the deductible amount comfortably.

What may not be covered

Your policy's basic coverage won't cover some special risks.

• Floods: While a standard policy covers most weather-related events, floods aren't one of them. Flood insurance is inexpensive and the federal government offers it through insurers. While it's mandatory when you have a mortgage and live in a flood zone, you should give it strong consideration no matter where you live. Whether it's a flash flood or a few inches of excess water, flooding can cause massive damage to your dwelling and its contents.
• Earthquakes: You can add coverage for earth movements to your policy with an extra premium. If you live in an area prone to earthquakes, consider reinforcing your home protection with this coverage.
• Home businesses: Homeowners plans provide limited coverage for business equipment. If you run your business from home or have expensive office equipment, you may need to consider additional coverage. Your homeowners policy may not cover injuries to someone if they're related to your business.

For additional information on protecting your home, visit USAA.com/Homeowners.

(BPT) - The new year is just around the corner and it’s never too early to think about your 2020 goals — and for many, this means prioritizing finances. Taking the time to focus on your goals and determine what’s important to you financially is the best way to set yourself up for success, but actually following through can be difficult. These easy financial exercises from Vanderbilt Mortgage will help you reach your goals in the new decade.

1. Outline your plan

If you don’t already have one, establish your plan. Write down short-term financial goals, such as creating a monthly budget, and long-term goals, such as paying off a debt or buying a home. Defining these goals will help as you set your budget for the next year.

2. Create a monthly budget

Gather pay statements, bills and bank statements to get started. You can write down all this information or use a budget tool. Start by calculating your monthly income, which includes not only the amount you may get from a regular paycheck, but also any money you get in government aid, child support or pensions. The next step is to look at your bills and bank statements to find out exactly what you spend in various categories of expenses such as utilities, auto, medical, personal, insurance, etc. This accurate information will empower you to take control of your spending.

3. Set a savings goal

Saving is another important aspect of financial health. Whether you’re using a general savings account, adding to an emergency fund, or setting aside funds for a new home, saving for larger financial goals helps you prepare and gives you peace of mind no matter where life takes you. If you’re new to saving, start small. Simply skipping your daily latte from the coffee shop a few times a week can add up quickly.

4. Stick to it

The statistics on how many people actually follow through and keep their New Year’s resolutions are rather bleak, but sticking with your financial goals will pay off. Stay on track by monitoring your progress each week. As you get closer to your goals, excitement will build and you’ll be motivated to keep budgeting and saving.

Vanderbilt Mortgage offers helpful online resources whether you are looking to purchase a new home or keep your current home in great shape. “Here at Vanderbilt, we want to use our years of experience to help current and future homeowners.” Said Eric Hamilton, President of Vanderbilt Mortgage, “Providing educational materials for every step of homeownership is one of the ways Vanderbilt is with customers every step of the way.”

Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc., 500 Alcoa Trail, Maryville, TN 37804, 865-380-3000, NMLS #1561, (http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/), AZ Lic. #BK-0902616, Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law license, GA Residential Mortgage (Lic. #6911), MT Lic. #1561, Licensed by PA Dept. of Banking. Sponsored ad content from Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, Inc.