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Buying a Home

Check Out Ongoing Costs

The cost of buying a new home extends well past the date of purchase. What you pay for a home is important, but whether you can afford that home is based on more than the amount of your mortgage payment; it also depends on other monthly costs like utilities and taxes. Don't simply rely on what your real estate agent tells you; ask sellers to provide you with recent copies of utility bills and tax bills. And make sure the tax assessor's information is up to date; if the sellers added on a room or made some other significant improvement that they did not report to the local government offices, your taxes could go up significantly in the future if the house is re-assessed. Ask questions and get documentation for any expenses you're concerned about – your mortgage payment is only one of the costs you'll need to be able to afford.