If buying a house is only going to be made possible with a generous inheritance from your parents or a lottery win, think again. There are several ways you can own a home while you’re still young. Take a look at these first time home buyer tricks that can help.

How to Afford to Own a Home By Age 30

Buying a House: Consider investing with friends and family

Buying a property on your own can be tough financially. That’s why more homeowners are investing in property with friends and family. It makes sense to share a load of the costs in return for a bigger house or a property in your desired location.

Consult with your bank to find out what loans allow you to buy with a friend or that have a reduced risk if your parents are prepared to be a guarantor. Remember to draw up the right legal documents should ownership problems arise like if someone can no longer finance the loan or wants to sell. Here are some good tips to remember when buying a house with family members.

How to Buy a House: Try your hand at “rent-vesting”

If you simply can’t afford to buy into the suburb you want to live in, try your hand at rent-vesting. This means you buy a property to rent out and rent a place in a location you like. You get to live in a place you love and someone else is contributing to your loan repayments. You could also be enjoying some tax deductions too!

Just remember to look for property in areas that have a high rental demand. You don’t want to own a home that can’t be rented out. Rent on top of full loan repayments will be a disaster.

Consider Buying a House in another locale

Living in cities or premium suburbs can be expensive wherever you live in the world. Moving out of town to a country area could be a great way to make buying a property more affordable. Take land for sale in the Geelong region for example. It’s much cheaper to buy in this regional area than purchasing a property in the middle of Melbourne.

Our advice is to look for areas that have great amenities like shopping, schools and public transport, and areas with an hour or two from a major city. This will make the transition to country life much easier and a more appealing investment long term.

For a First Time Homebuyer – Get the right tools

Sure, it’s a nice thought to be able to own a home, but not realistic for many young buyers. Purchasing a renovator’s delight that needs work can be a great way to get your foot in the real estate door. You have two options when buying a home that needs some TLC: Firstly, you could get on the tools and flip the property quickly and reinvest or you could hire a custom home builderƒ and create a home you want to live in for many years to come.

Either way, make sure you crunch some numbers before you invest as renovating can drain the bank very quickly!

Save Up Money to own a home

If moving back in with your parents isn’t an option, saving money on rent through house sitting may be a great option. Becoming a house sitter allows you to live on your own without the added expenses. This means you can save the money you’d be paying in rent and bills to put towards buying your own home.

Housesitter.com has some good resources on how you can become a housesitter.

Our tip is to look for the more long-term house sitting gigs and set up a plan to put the money saved in rent into an investment fund. This will help you save money while still having a place to live. This especially works in locations where homeowners travel much of the year and need dependable people to watch over their homes.

For more home real estate and first-time home buyers tips, look through Stagetecture’s archives.

Pretty much everyone would rather pay a mortgage than rent since the former will one day result in home ownership. But just because you have realized the folly of shelling out for rent each month doesn’t necessarily mean that you are ready to buy your own property. There are a lot of things you’ll want to consider before you take the plunge on this major purchase and you’ll probably need to put in some prep work before you will be approved for a loan. So here are some of the things you’ll need to take into account before you start perusing the mortgage market for properties and approaching lenders to secure the financing you’ll need to complete the transaction.

Image via

[ad#co-1]

Are you ready for home ownership?

For starters, you need to think about whether or not you’re mature enough to own a home. Okay, so most people won’t admit that they’re too irresponsible for the demands of home ownership, but there’s no shame in conceding that you’re simply not ready to take on everything that comes with being solely liable for the state of a property. For example, did you know that you must keep a home up to spec when it comes to city codes? Just because you are the owner does not mean you can let the lawn become overgrown or throw trash bags all over your parcel. There are city ordinances in place to ensure the safety of all the residents in an area, and if you are creating hazards through your unwillingness or inability to keep your home clean and well-maintained you could get fined or even lose your house.

Suppose a fire broke out and you didn’t have proper brush clearance; what could have been easily contained has now become a serious risk to you and your neighbors. Of course, that’s just one example of how you might not be ready for the responsibilities involved with home ownership. Keeping your property clear of debris and looking nice for the safety of your neighbors and the value of your community is only one small part of it. You also need to engage in upkeep as a way to preserve your own property value so that this expensive asset can gain value over time, acting as an investment as well as a practical shelter. So if you don’t have basic handyman skills and you can’t afford to hire professionals to tend to the issues in your home, perhaps you’re simply not ready to own one.

Image via

Are you ready for the financial responsibility?

This brings us to the financial responsibilities inherent in owning a home, and here, too, you should be prepared. Although VA home loan requirements may allow veterans to purchase a house with no money down, civilians have no such options these days. This means you’ll have to come up with a down payment, which could be anywhere from about 3-30% of the asking price of the home. This number depends on the state you live in, the lender you choose, and your particular credit history. Of course, you’ll also need a decent credit score in order to get approved for a home loan, so if you have poor credit (or no credit), this is something you’ll have to work on before you even think of seeking a loan. If you don’t have a workable credit rating and a down payment in hand, this definitely isn’t the time to purchase a home.

For more moving tips on Stagetecture, click here.

After a hard day at work, the only thing that you want to do is to spend some time relaxing at home. The best way to do this is to create a space that you will want to return to time and time again. By decorating your home to reflect your own personal tastes and styles, you will end up being able to design a home that will feel welcoming and comfortable to you.

Image courtesy of Hype Villa

When you move into a brand new house or apartment, it can be difficult to get motivated to unpack your old stuff and move in. All of that empty space, combined with the full boxes and the fear of living somewhere entirely new, may prohibit you from wanting to make your new house into a home. But with a little organization and new furniture, you will be able to create a home that is absolutely perfect for you.

Living Room

One amazing way to motivate yourself to furnish and decorate your new house is to buy some excellent new high quality furniture to add to your home. One great piece to get for your living room is a coffee table with end tables. The coffee table will look amazing in your new living room or bedroom and you can place your sofa from your old home near it. You will love combining your new and old pieces of furniture and creating a look that is right for you.

Image courtesy of On Home Design

Bedroom

Another good piece of furniture that you should purchase that every house needs is a high quality bed. By getting a new bed, you will get excited about spending time in your bedroom and will receive the full eight hours of sleep you need each night. Try and buy some colorful and beautiful accent pieces for your bedroom including bright wall décor, throw pillows and comfy linens. You will be able to create a bedroom that is serene and tranquil and will make you want to come home to for years to come.

Kitchen

Your kitchen is one of the most popular rooms in your home. Be sure to create an inviting kitchen atmosphere in your new house that will make you feel right at home. In order to do this, your new kitchen might need a fresh coat of bright paint. Also try and get some fashionable and functional pieces of furniture that will add style and substance to your kitchen.

Image courtesy of Roemahku

Whether you want round end tables, a new bed or a fabulous dining set, purchasing new items and interweaving them with your old stuff will create a home that you will get excited about. The prospect of turning your house into a comfortable living space will make you feel great and help you adjust to your new life better. Yes, it can be scary to move to a new town or city and leave everything you know behind, but you will love getting to learn about your new home. You will love it.

This guest post was written by Timpro.

For more moving tips on Stagetecture, click here.

For first time homebuyers the act of choosing a home, moving in and getting settled can often be a challenge. While after all of this, you still have to choose furniture! Instead of getting overwhelmed, look at these tips from my Guest Blogger. They will help you choose the right furniture for each of your spaces.

__________________________

First time home buyers have a lot of decisions ahead of them.  They get to create a home out of the house they have just bought. It is like an empty canvas that they get to paint. They get to create a place that is uniquely theirs. Some people thrive with creativity, but some people struggle to figure out how to do this. One way to create a home environment is through furniture.

Image courtesy ofID Best

Living Room

There are many things to consider when choosing the right furniture. First, we can start in the living room. There are many things to consider buying for the living room. The most important piece is the sofa. This will be the place where people hang out. It is good to get a couch that is very comfortable. To make a modern look, furniture with a solid color and straight lines would be good. Others who want to have a homier feel and should get a warm color or patterned couch. Home buyers will also want to have chairs. Rocking chairs are a great option for anyone who wants to have children or people who like to relax. It can be great to get the chairs and the sofa to match. It creates a unified atmosphere.

Dining Room

The dining room is also a place where furniture matters. The dining room is where people will gather often to eat and make memories. It is important to get a table that is easy to clean. As careful as you may be, there will be messes made. It is also important to get something very sturdy. The table should last a long time. It can be great to purchase a table that is able to expand. Many tables offer options for more or less seating. This is great to have a roomy dining room, but still be able to entertain many people.

Image courtesy of Arsitektur Media

Home Office

Other furniture needs include end tables and desks. Any home with an office space should have a desk. The most important part of a desk is that is can hold all that you need it to. The need for drawers or shelves will vary from person to person. End tables are an area to have a lot of fun with.

Image courtesy of Decor Dir

There are many unique and individualistic designs. Any person can find something they like. Every person wants to have pieces that reflect them. They want to have furniture that makes them feel like the house is their own. There are many furniture options out there. The important thing is just to look around. It can be fun to look at lots of furniture shops to get great ideas. Once the ideas start rolling, picking out matching accessories will be a lot of fun.

Louisa Coan is writing on behalf of Design Spree, who offer designer furniture and also Furniture Bucks County and Furniture New Jersey

For more home buying & selling tips on Stagetecture, click here.