Keep track of your month expenses, distinguish what are necessary purchases versus nice to have. Get a copy of credit report from each of the 3 credit bureaus and pay to get one of your score, so you know what you are working with. Go through the credit reports and follow their instruction to make corrections when necessary. Make sure you continue to pay your bills on time to keep your score up. Make a realistic estimate on how much money you can save by the time you make the purchase.

This will help you get a realistic idea on the price range of homes you should be looking. Insurance and property tax could vary quiet a bit on the zoning, county, school district etc. If you are not particular to one area, you may want to compare various neighborhoods for the best situation. 50,000, then it is actually a negative for credit score. The general rules about credit: 1. Try get rid of department stores and gas stations cards and charge all purchases to major credit cards. Staying loyal to a credit account will increase your credit score.

So if you are deciding which of the Visa or Master Card account to close, keep the one you have the longest. Each time a company make such inquiry to your credit history is a negative to your credit score.

Although how much you make is a factor, more importantly is how much you can put down.

There are an array of real estate calculators available: RealEstate ABC Calculator Suite A group of five calculators weve programmed for our users. Mortgage Payment Calculator Calculates mortgage payment and creates amortization tables. Qualifier Calculator You input your income, debt, down payment, and calculate what price home you can afford. Range of Purchase Calculator Determine your purchase range with a minimum and maximum payment under different down payment scenarios. This calculator lets you know.

Hughs Calculator Suite A group of three simple calculators programmed in the early days of the web by a guy named Hugh. Mortgage Payment Calcultor Calculates mortgage payments. Payment Calculator Calculates mortgage payments for three different scenarios at once. Principal After X Years Perhaps you plan to sell this home in five years and want to know what your mortgage balance will be at that time.

Principal Prepayment Calculator This mortgage calculator tells you when your normal payoff would be and when it would be if you paid a specific extra amount each month. Prepayment Analysis Calculator Suppose you want to pay off your mortgage in a specific period of time.