How We Bought Our First Home: A Youth Pastor and a Graphic Designer in Ohio

This week, I chatted with Sam*, a youth pastor in Ohio.

I knowit’s how these articles usually go.

This put us around $180,000 for our max house price.

What should first-time homebuyers know about mortgages?

This is potentially the biggest financial decision of your life, so verify youre getting the best deal.

Dont forget about your local credit unions!

We found a rate that beat the national lenders by 0.5%, saving us $200-300/month.

They offered a very competitive PMI at $31/month since we knew we couldnt put 20% down.

We ended up opening an HSA account with them because of how easy they were to work with.

With two full-time jobs, were at 15%, though we know that could change in the future.

We had several things pop up in the process.

We had to completely re-do the electrical in the house, which we knew about going in.

My dad, a retired electrician, was fortunately able to help with most of it.

We also used IKEA for new kitchen cabinets to save some money.

That was an additional $3,500 we contracted to an IKEA installer.

If I had a second chance, I would look more in-depth at how they work.

Look at the house for what it could become, not what it currently is.

Smelly carpets can be replaced.

Floors can be re-stained.

Find the best realtor you’re free to.

We literally would not have bought a home without their help.

Now youve got a list of your super-fun home improvement projects for the next five years.

We started looking with our realtor in September 2023.

*Name changed to keep the subject anonymous.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.