Frequently Asked Questions about Buying Your First Home
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Lenders look at the overall debt-to-income ratio. They like to see that your monthly housing payment, plus everything on your credit report (including car payment, credit cards, etc.), is not more than 50% of your total gross monthly income (before taxes).

If you want to buy a $100,000 home, the monthly payment will be $1,000. Suppose you also pay another $500 each month in other bills that are on your credit report. That’s a monthly debt of $1,500. You would need to earn about twice that, or $3,000 a month, to qualify for the home loan, typically.

What type of credit do I need to have?

For an FHA loan, which is very popular, buyers generally need to have clean credit for the past 12 months, meaning that payments have been made on time. Many lenders don’t worry about credit problems that took place in the past, as long as the past year is good and clean.

What if I don’t have other loans or credit cards?

The FHA and other lenders are very willing to consider what they call “alternate lines of credit.” That is, any type of payment history that shows that the buyer is able to make regular payments on time. These can include items such as rent, utilities, telephone, car insurance and child-care payments. If a buyer can show clean, 12-month payment histories for at least 3 of these types of alternate lines of credit, that is generally good enough.

About The Author Damon Thomas is a contributor to www.casanuevahouston.com, a Houston-based company providing information for new home buyers.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buying Your First Home
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Additional Resources

category - Home Buying Programs

Achieving the Dream Program for First Time Home Buyers in New York
One of the programs of the State of New York Mortgage Agency, is the Achieving the Dream Program wherein it seeks to provide eligible low income first time home buyers with really low down payment mortgage financing programs.

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Downpayment Assistance Program for First Time Homebuyers in Connecticut
The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority has been running the Downpayment Assistance Program in order to financially assist first time home buyers in the process of covering the downpayment and closing costs of purchasing a home.

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Downpayment Assistance Program for the First Time Home Buyers in North Carolina
In an attempt to contribute to the eradication of this problem, the North Carolina HFA has established the Downpayment Assistance Program for the First Time Home Buyers wherein they provide interest-free, deferred second mortgages up to $8,000 to cover the downpayment and closing costs of a chosen property.

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First Time Homebuyer Programs in Georgia
The state of Georgia offers a variety of programs to assist first time home buyers. The programs are offered primarily through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

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