We recently celebrated my daughter’s 4th birthday and I think she is finally at the age where she can begin to understand the concept of money, and what it should (and shouldn’t) be used for. For her birthday, while her grandparents got her the toys she REALLY wanted, I went the practical route and got her these “piggy” banks and a couple of children’s books on being smart with your money.

This is part 3 of a 3-part series on readying yourself to purchase real estate. 

This is part 2 of a 3-part series on readying yourself to purchase real estate.  If you are still saving money for a down payment, you may also want to read part 1 of the series on ways to help you reach your down payment savings goals.

When my wife and I purchased our first property, we had no idea what to expect or how to prepare, but we learned a few things while going through the process. Some of the tips listed below will show up in any article you read about the first-time home buying experience and others will not. Nonetheless, these are the things we wish we knew before going down the escrow gauntlet.

In the past few weeks, we have received a lot of questions about the current state of the economy, fears of a "trade war," and questioning whether or not all of these changes will cause the US to fall into a recession.

This is part 1 of a 3-part series on readying yourself to purchase real estate.

By Catey Hill

written by Matthew Crisafulli, EA

by Matthew Crisafulli