Are you getting ready to buy your first home? It is important to know how much you can afford before you begin looking at properties. Talking with a lender and getting pre-approved for a loan puts you in a stronger negotiating position with sellers.

As a rule, your monthly housing costs should not exceed 28% of your monthly pre-tax income. These costs include the mortgage payment, real estate taxes, and insurance. If you have long-term debts, such as student loans or car payments, your monthly payments, including your housing costs, should be less than 36% of your pre-tax monthly income. Some loans, such as VA and FHA loans, are more flexible with these basic guidelines.

Depending on which type of mortgage you select, you can consider houses in various price ranges. An adjustable-rate mortgage will usually enable you to qualify for a higher loan amount. Your real estate agent can help you make the basic calculations. Remember that buying at the top end of your price range gives you more time to outgrow your home, and can save you money over the long term.

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DeLena Ciamacco
RE/MAX Connections, Realtors
4531 E. Walnut Street
Westerville, OH. 43081
Toll Free : (877) 693-SOLD (7653)
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DeLena began to sell Real Estate with a local Conventional Brokerage and soon decided that in order to grow she would need to affiliate herself with a much larger, International Company. She chose RE/MAX and that is when her career as a Realtor began to soar. After just her second year with RE/MAX (1993) DeLena ranked #5 in all of Ohio among RE/MAX Realtors. In addition to her numerous local recognizable awards with the Columbus Board and Ohio Association of Realtors, she was inducted into the RE/MAX International "Hall of Fame" and "Lifetime Achievement" (RE/MAX's highest achievement awards) as the youngest Realtor in RE/MAX History to attain this level of sales. She has been the recipient of RE/MAX's highest awards since her first full year with RE/MAX. She has been recognized in "Who's Who" in Residential Real Estate in North America for 1994, 1995, & 1996, and articles have been written about her in Ohio Realtor Magazine, In Contract Magazine, Columbus Executive Woman's magazine, Business First and Buon Giorno magazine, to name just a few. She has contributed her time as a Speaker on numerous "Top Producer" panels in 1993-2010 (ytd). In 2002 DeLena was nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year.

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