As you progress on your career in the military, you can often find yourself in a position to increase the value in your home. Buying a home is a goal that most families, both inside the military and outside share, so its important to keep some things in mind to maximize the value you have in your new home. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Pay Down Your Debts- As you look for a home, you can find a much better interest rate on a mortgage if you have the amount of your outstanding debts reduced as low as you can. Pay off as many of the smaller debts that you have as is possible, and look to getting a low rate on your home loan. It is preferable to have a larger mortgage at times with a lower rate than to have a house with a high or variable interest rate.
Pay On Time- Both before you obtain a home loan, and after, make your payments on your debts in a timely manner. Pay on time. This will keep your credit history and credit rating good, and help build a history and a positive credit rating. Keep your mortgage loan as your first priority. Avoid Big Purchases on Credit- Lenders look at the amount of your debts, and they do not like to pile large debts on large debts. Having a large number of big purchases can at times prevent you from qualifying for the mortgage amount you seek. Consider buying a used car, or making do with the old Honda for a few more years, in the end you will be glad you did.
Save Save Save- Plan for purchasing your home, and save all that you can for the down payment ahead of time. Consider using automatic payroll deductions at your duty station, or to have your spouse have an automatic deduction set up at their workplace. The larger down payment you can get the better terms you may access on your home loan. Live Frugal – For many people this simply means to live within the means you have. Try to forecast what payment amount you can afford, and imagine what having that payment amount each and every month would be like for you. There is huge financial difference between $700 dollars a month and $1,500 dollars a month for a house payment.  Try to picture and figure what you can truly afford, before you enter into a loan agreement.
