Making the transition from renting to owning can be a thrilling one but when it comes to doing it for the first time ever, it can be somewhat overwhelming.

Establishing a timeline that breaks down the process into smaller pieces can make buying your first home a little easier. Buying a home in one year is possible! Check out our timeline below for our recommendations for how to buy a home in 12 months.

There are many questions a new home buyer will have to ask themselves during the home buying process. Not only will you have to decide what neighborhood you'd like to live in, you'll also have to assess what types of fees will come with your new home purchase. Along with those questions might come a few real estate terms you might be unfamiliar with.

One of the most popular questions we get asked when sitting down with first-time home buyers is, “How much can I afford?” which essentially is the question, “How much will my monthly payment be?” Many people live in terms of monthly payments when it comes to things such as homes, cars, and so on, which means understanding the amount of home you can afford in terms of a monthly payment is very common.

One thing we try to remind buyers when meeting with them is not just to consider how much they can afford to pay monthly for their new home, but how their current lifestyle factors into buying a home.

It’s only normal to be accustomed to living a certain way, whether you’re big on travel, going out to eat, or planning for retirement. When buying a home, there are often costs associated with home ownership that you may not have considered when first setting your home buying budget. Take those costs, plus your monthly mortgage payment, and there could be very little wiggle room left for anything else. That is if you don’t plan ahead.