Ain't Got No Money?

No more excuses. Get started now. Save now for your down payment, it could mean a savings of over $288,000 in a lifetime!  That’s just what you will pay to rent a house for $600 a month  for 40 years!  (Let’s just hope the landlord doesn't  go up on the rent in 40 years!-Not likely)

Now who wants to spend that kind of money just to rent a house?

Check out our rent to own home today @ www.findmyhomesweethome.com

(Need help saving? Check out my last blog post for tips on how to save.)

Saving is a Stepping Stone to Home Ownership

A lot of the people I talk to that dream of owning their own home are dealing with set-backs. Maybe they've lost their job, their marriage or a loved one. Maybe they've made bad decisions and are learning to make better ones. Sometimes they just don't make that much money and think that means they'll have to rent forever. I'm here to tell you that regardless of your situation YOU CAN OWN A HOME YOU LOVE! That doesn't mean I can just magically make that happen for you. But it does mean that you can take steps right now that will get you ready for the home you've been longing to have. In this blogpost I'm going to focus on ways to save money for a downpayment.

1. Put your tax return in a savings account and leave it alone. Do this with any big chunk of money you get. Put it in your savings account and do your best to forget it exists.
2. Ask your family for help with the downpayment. You might be surprised! Grandpa might be just waiting for a good opportunity to show his love and support to you.  If you have a little money set by already, show that to your family. They may be more willing to help when they see that you're making the extra effort yourself.
3. Look for "lost" money. I'm always being surprised at the places people stash their money and forget about. Look for old savings bonds, coin collections, gold jewelry, or lapsed savings accounts. You might also be able to take a loan against an insurance policy.
4. Take a second job. It's not glamorous, but you know that every cent you earn can go toward your downpayment. 
5. Clean out your closets and sell your extra stuff. Have a yard sale, advertise in the paper or better yet on Craigslist. If you've got collectibles, try selling on Ebay--then put the money in your house fund.
6. Ask your boss for a raise and put the additional money in your downpayment fund.
7. Set up automatic transfers to your savings account. Do you have automatic deposit on your paycheck? You can do the same thing with your savings account. Talk to your bank about automatically moving a set amount of money from your checking account to your savings the day after you get paid.
8. Pay off your credit cards! They are financial bloodsuckers! The longer they sit, the more you pay in interest, so pay them off so you can get on with saving.
9. Create a specific downpayment savings account. If your home downpayment fund is in the same place as the rest of your savings, you'll be likely to raid it when things are tight. Create an account specifically for your house fund and try and forget it exists.
10. Cut back now for gains later. Maybe you're renting a bigger house than you need or spend a lot of money eating out. Look at where you put your money now and see where you can cut back and put that savings into your downpayment fund.

Now go ahead!  Choose at least one of these things and take action on it.  You'll be happy when you see the results!

Conatan Did It!

Conatan did it!  (You can too!) He now owns his own home!

When Conatan first called me with an an interest in one of our homes we had for sale, he couldn't qualify for a bank loan but he could still qualify to buy one of our homes. (we have lots of ways for people to buy a home that don't depend on great credit or 20% down).  He moved into the home he wanted and after making his monthly payment faithfully and steadily for 2 years and also by making good choices with his money, he improved his credit and was able to apply for and get his own mortgage with a bank.  I'm so proud of him--and he's proud too! Congratulations Conatan!  You are an encouragement to many other people who have a dream of "home sweet home"!

Getting to home ownership is easier than hiking the Appalachian Trail!  Small steps can make a big difference. For Conatan, just paying his bills on time improved his credit  quickly and got him on the path to owning his own home.

What small step can you make to improve your credit?
1.  Get on a payment plan with medical bills?
2.  Settle out a bad account?
3.  Pay down a credit card bill?