5 Steps to Take Before Shopping for Your First Home

When you're considering buying your first home, you're probably full of excitement about achieving the American dream. Unfortunately, this dream could turn into a nightmare if you haven't made sure that you're financially ready for the costs of becoming a homeowner. You don't want to fall in love with a house before you've done the practical thing and made certain you're prepared for homeownership. Before you call a realtor, take these five steps to get all your ducks in a row.

Image Source: Getty Images.

The last thing you want to do is make yourself "house poor" by spending more of your income on a home purchase than you should. The "affordability standard" for housing is that you should spend no more than 30% of your income on housing costs (including insurance and property taxes), while many mortgage lenders prefer that your housing cost is no greater than 28% of your income.

Source: Fool.com