Renting and wondering when to buy
You want to know whether buying makes sense and how far away it is.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to prepare to buy a house for the first time
Understand the steps, costs and paperwork before you buy your first home.
A course for first-time buyers getting ready to buy. It covers working out what you can afford beyond the down payment, how mortgages and interest rates work, comparing loan offers from several lenders, the costs people forget, and the order of steps from saving to closing.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to buy my first home in the next year or two and I do not know where to start. Help me understand how much I can afford, how mortgages work, and the steps from saving to getting the keys.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Four things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Set your own monthly ceiling
Work out what you could pay each month for housing while still saving and covering other bills, and include property taxes, insurance and upkeep in that figure. The CFPB advises making sure you are comfortable spending the estimated monthly payment, rather than relying on what a lender will approve.
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Get more than one loan offer
In the US, the CFPB recommends requesting Loan Estimates from several lenders and comparing them. Illustrative example: two offers at the same rate with origination charges of $1,200 and $2,800 differ by $1,600 upfront. Compare the rate and the fees together.
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List the costs beyond the down payment
Write a line for each: closing costs, inspection, moving, early repairs or furniture, and a cash cushion for after you move in. Leaving these out can make the first months in a new home much tighter than planned.
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Agree how you will confirm payment instructions
Closing scams target buyers with fake wiring instructions by email. The CFPB advises never following instructions in an email and confirming account details in person or on a phone number agreed in advance with trusted contacts. Write down those contacts now.
Sources: CFPB: understanding and comparing Loan Estimates; CFPB: protecting your closing funds from scams. Practical examples are starting points, not promised results.
- Best for
- Personal finance
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Which country or state are you buying in?
- Roughly when do you hope to buy: within six months, a year, or longer?
- Are you buying alone or with someone else?
- Where are you now: saving, checking your credit, or already looking at homes?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
Saving with no clear target
You do not know what you will need beyond the down payment.
The process feels opaque
Pre-approval, loan estimates and closing are words you have heard but cannot place.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Is now the time
Weighing buying against renting for your plans and finances.
What you can afford
Monthly costs, upfront costs and keeping a cushion after you move.
How mortgages work
Interest, term, fixed and adjustable rates, and the total you repay.
Credit and preparation
What lenders look at and what to check before applying.
Shopping for a loan
Getting and comparing offers from several lenders.
From offer to keys
Inspections, closing costs, paperwork and avoiding closing scams.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Know what you can afford
Set a monthly housing figure you are comfortable with, not only what a lender offers.
Understand mortgages
See how rate, term and down payment change what you pay over time.
Compare offers
Read and compare loan offers from more than one lender.
Know the steps
Follow the order from preparation to closing and spot common traps.
Ideas this course corrects
The amount a lender approves is what you can afford
A lender's limit is not a budget. Your own monthly costs, savings goals and cushion decide what is comfortable.
The down payment is the only upfront cost
Closing costs, inspections, moving and early repairs also need cash, so plan for them alongside the down payment.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to prepare to buy a house for the first time: what can I do today?
Set your own monthly ceiling. Work out what you could pay each month for housing while still saving and covering other bills, and include property taxes, insurance and upkeep in that figure. The CFPB advises making sure you are comfortable spending the estimated monthly payment, rather than relying on what a lender will approve. Get more than one loan offer. In the US, the CFPB recommends requesting Loan Estimates from several lenders and comparing them. Illustrative example: two offers at the same rate with origination charges of $1,200 and $2,800 differ by $1,600 upfront. Compare the rate and the fees together. List the costs beyond the down payment. Write a line for each: closing costs, inspection, moving, early repairs or furniture, and a cash cushion for after you move in. Leaving these out can make the first months in a new home much tighter than planned. Agree how you will confirm payment instructions. Closing scams target buyers with fake wiring instructions by email. The CFPB advises never following instructions in an email and confirming account details in person or on a phone number agreed in advance with trusted contacts. Write down those contacts now.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course for first-time buyers getting ready to buy. It covers working out what you can afford beyond the down payment, how mortgages and interest rates work, comparing loan offers from several lenders, the costs people forget, and the order of steps from saving to closing. It sits under Personal finance in the Life & growth part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to buy my first home in the next year or two and I do not know where to start. Help me understand how much I can afford, how mortgages work, and the steps from saving to getting the keys.