Settling into Your New Home
June 18, 2025
It pays to develop a simple maintenance calendar to remind you of recurring tasks like checking detectors (twice a year), cleaning gutters (spring and fall), and scheduling an annual HVAC service. You should also start saving up for replacements in the home, as we’ll discuss below.
Is it Common to Feel Buyer’s Remorse Shortly After Moving In?
Yes, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed and even experience a bit of buyer's remorse when you begin your new life as a home owner.
Some need time to adjust to the financial pressure of having a mortgage. Some feel the list of projects around the home is never-ending at first.
When this feeling hits, acknowledge it, remind yourself why you wanted to buy a home in the first place, and focus on completing one small, manageable task to regain a sense of accomplishment and control.
I am starting an emergency fund for the house. What are the next big things I should be saving for?
Beyond your immediate emergency fund, you should save for "Capital Expenditures,” or money you will eventually need to put toward the major home systems with a long but limited lifespan.
Create separate savings goals for critical home areas such as the roof, siding, electrical systems, and climate control.
Should I plan on a home equity loan to pay for future upgrades at some point?
It’s always best to see if you can afford to pay for improvements in cash. If you do need to finance a repair or replacement, resist the urge to put these projects on your credit card unless you are fairly certain you can pay off the card quickly. You may find that interest rates are the sticking point here.
If you would pay more in interest to pay for repairs or replacements purchased with a credit card, it may make sense to consider cash-out refinancing or an FHA rehabilitation refinance (depending on circumstances and need) instead.
FHA Loan Articles
June 30, 2026FHA loans offer low down payment options and more forgiving credit requirements for borrowers who may not qualify for a conventional mortgage or need to save more money out of pocket at the front end of the mortgage. But even with more forgiving credit requirements, some borrowers are tempted to omit certain debt information from their home loan applications. What does it mean to conceal a debt or financial situation from your loan officer?
June 30, 2026Some borrowers start working on their credit scores but get impatient with the process because they can't predict when their efforts will change their FICO scores. How long does it take for your FICO scores to update when you pay off a loan, reduce your credit card balances, or take other steps to make yourself a better credit risk? The short answer is that credit reporting procedures are not standardized, and it may take more time than you realize to get those positive credit actions added to your credit report.
June 29, 2026Mortgage interest rates are "moving targets" shaped by national economic trends and the borrower's specific financial profile. What is your FHA loan interest rate? Much depends on the financial data you bring to the table. Lenders set interest rates daily based on a snapshot of market conditions, but the rate ultimately offered also reflects risk, equity, and the lending institution's internal operational costs.
June 28, 2026An FHA appraisal differs from a conventional appraisal. While the goal of a conventional appraisal centers on market value, the FHA appraisal also focuses on the buyer's safety and soundness. FHA lenders select the appraiser, not the home buyer.
June 24, 2026FHA loan closing costs vary by property price and geographic location, rather than by a single nationwide flat fee. Total settlement charges combine percentage-based fees, local government taxes, and marketplace service costs. If you are new to buying a home, you'll want to get familiar with the closing cost issues discussed here to avoid budgetary surprises later on.
