Buying a home can be one of the most stressful times in your life, and the waiting period between application and approval usually has you waiting with bated breath each day for word to arrive from the lender. You can make the road to getting your house a lot less stressful by following the ten commandments of home ownership. They might not have been handed down by a deity, but their word is equally as powerful.

Thou shalt not take any risks with your job

Having steady employment is essential when buying a home unless you are firmly entrenched in what you do already. Being able to make payments each month means having a steady income, and that can be really tough if you want to become self-employed or even change jobs. Stay put and keep the money coming in.

Thou shalt not make other large purchases

Buying that new car or getting that flat screen tv for the big game on Sunday might be tempting, but it just isn’t worth it. Don’t spread your money thin. Buying a home takes focus, and you need to get your priorities straight.

Thou shalt not overspend on thy credit card

Credit cards are not free money. They are a tool at your disposal to help you financially. Your mortgage payment needs to take precedent, so don’t rack up a big credit card bill or let your accounts fall behind!

Thou shalt not spend the “cash to close” money

When buying a home, cash to close means all of the fees for closing the deal. This could be appraisal fees the title or insurance. Don’t dip into the kitty. It’s off limits!

Thou shalt not move money around

One overlooked commandment when buying a home is keeping your money in one place. It helps you know how much you have and what is going where. Don’t overcomplicate things by moving money around accounts.

Thou shalt not stop making payments

If you have a current mortgage, then you cannot stop making payments. This will lead to big trouble down the line. Also, if this is your first mortgage, you need to understand just how important being on time with your payments is.

Thou shalt not make large deposits without telling your loan officer

You might think money in the bank is great no matter what! And it usually is. But your loan officer needs to do their due diligence when loaning a fortune to you. They want to make sure the money is coming from a legit source, and that you aren’t getting money from other locations just to look more qualified.

Thou shalt not make large withdrawals either

Pulling a large chunk of money out of your account will also raise eyebrows when getting a mortgage. This home buying commandment is paramount. You don’t want to scare your officer away!

Thou shalt not let anyone pull your credit while waiting

Getting approval for a home loan is a long process that is determined by many factors, but one home buying commandment is not to let anyone pull your credit during the process. Hard enquiries, as they are called, can hurt your credit score and make it more difficult to get a home loan.

Thou shalt make sure the application is accurate

Might seem like a no brainer, but I’ve seen plenty of people make mistakes because they rushed the process. Double check everything. Not only does it make the application take longer, discrepancies can put your lender off.

Buying a home can be one of the most stressful times in your life, but you don’t have to let it be if you follow these ten commandments for home ownership. If you are in the market for a new home in the Bradenton area, then you need a real estate agent with local know how to get you the home of your dreams.