With the cost of both housing and inflation at highs, saving for a home in today’s economy is much harder than it has been in years past. But that doesn’t mean you should give up hope. With the right plan, buying a home is still very attainable. This guide will break down how you can save for a house in five straightforward steps, whether you’re purchasing your first home or buying an additional one.
Looking for advice related to personal finance and saving for a home? First-time homebuyers are welcome to contact the team at ARQ Wealth at (480) 214-9572 for a free consultation on saving for a home.
Determine Your Budget For a Home
One of the best first steps when starting the home-buying process is to determine your budget for a home. Many advisors call this determining “how much house” you can afford.
Buying a home that’s too expensive is risky. Even if you’re approved for a mortgage and can make the monthly payments, your budget might not be able to absorb the property taxes, homeowners’ insurance, and upkeep costs.
One of the best ways to determine your budget is to get pre-qualified. Getting pre-qualified for a mortgage is when a lender gives you a preliminary estimate of how much you can borrow. While it’s not a binding offer, it gives you a sense of how much you’re likely to get approved for.
Experimenting with a mortgage calculator is another great way to determine how expensive a home you’re likely to afford, given today’s interest rates.
Mortgage calculators let you examine different factors such as:
- Home price
- Down payment
- Loan term
- Interest rate
- Additional costs
For example, you’ll be able to experiment and see how large a down payment you’ll need to make, depending on the purchase price of a given home. Or you can see how your mortgage payments will fluctuate depending on the size of your down payment.
Once you’ve determined how much house you can afford, you can start working on your down payment and credit score.
Work on Your Down Payment and Credit Score
The two biggest obstacles when saving for a home are typically your down payment and credit score.
What to Know About Your Down Payment
Your down payment is the amount of cash that you pay upfront when buying a home.
When buying a home, most people only pay a small percentage of the home’s value on closing day and finance the rest with a mortgage, making consistent payments over a set period. A conventional loan typically requires between 3% and 20% for a down payment, according to Fannie Mae.
In 2025, the median down payment is approximately $36,000 for first-time buyers. However, the amount that you pay will depend on the home’s purchase price and the percentage of the home that you put down.
Assume you’d have to put down 5% to buy a home. This means you’d have to pay the following down payments:
- $250,000 home = $12,500
- $500,000 home = $25,000
- $750,000 home = $37,500
- $1,000,000 home = $50,000
- $1,500,000 home = $75,000
ARQ Wealth Tip: When saving for your down payment, it’s smart to also save money for closing costs, moving costs, and other related expenses.
If you already own a home and are planning to buy a second property, you can also explore using your existing home equity to help with your down payment.
Your down payment is just one factor when getting approved for a mortgage. You’ll also need to understand your credit score.
Why Your Credit Score Matters
Your credit score is a prediction of your credit behavior, such as how likely you are to pay a loan back on time, based on information from your credit reports. It’s a 3-digit number that ranges from 300 to 850.
Lenders will look at your credit score to determine what loan amount and mortgage rates to approve you for. A higher credit score helps unlock larger loans, lower interest rates, and more flexible repayment plans. If you have a lower credit score, mortgage lenders may ask for a larger down payment or charge you a higher interest rate.
You can usually check your credit score for free through your banking app. Or you can also explore sites like Annualcreditreport.com to get a copy of your credit report, which explains the details behind your credit score.
There are five main factors that help determine your credit score:
- Your bill-paying history
- Your current outstanding debts
- The number of other loan accounts you have
- How much of your available credit you’re using
- The number of times you’ve applied for new credit
If your credit score is on the lower end, you may want to consider spending some time to improve it before applying for a mortgage to help unlock better terms.
Establish a Savings Plan
The next step is to establish a savings plan that will help you reach your down payment goal. The best way to do this is by breaking your down payment into monthly installments.
For example, if you want to save $15,000 for a down payment, you’d have to commit to saving this much:
- $1,250 every month for 1 year
- $625 every month for 2 years
- $416 every month for 3 years
This is where it’s highly advantageous to speak with a financial advisor who can help you create a savings plan that fits into your budget while also helping you reach your financial goals.
One smart idea is to open a new high-yield savings account or similar interest-bearing account, which can serve as your down payment fund. This way, you can keep your down payment account separate from your checking account and other savings goals. The goal is to save for a home without disrupting existing contributions to your individual retirement account or traditional savings account.
- Open a new high-yield savings account
- Contribute any extra cash in your budget
- Commit to your plan and timeline
ARQ Wealth Tip: Contributing your annual tax refund is a great way to stay ahead of your down payment goal.
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How do we do this? By investing in a proprietary blend of fixed-income assets.
Capital Reserve is ideal for anyone with excess savings who’s currently saving for a large purchase.
Learn more by contacting ARQ Wealth today.
Get Pre-approved For a Mortgage
Getting pre-approved is when you complete a mortgage application and have a lender verify the financial information that you provide. The lender will review your credit report, financial history, income statements, and other documents to determine how large a mortgage you qualify for.
This step is about as close as you can get to confirming your creditworthiness without having a purchase contract in place. Think of it like getting a promise (although a non-legally binding one) that says you’re qualified to borrow X amount of money.
ARQ Wealth Tip: Just because you are approved for a large mortgage doesn’t mean that you need to borrow that much. Buying a home is exciting, but it’s important not to borrow money that will leave you overextended—even if you qualify for it!
During this step, it’s also smart to start shopping around for private mortgage insurance.
Start Shopping for Homes and Making Offers
By this point, you’ve done all of the hard work. Now it’s time for the fun part: House shopping.
Explore houses for sale in local neighborhoods to get a sense of what type of home fits into your budget. Schedule some tours and, when you’ve found a home you love, make an offer.
During this time, continue to save money so you can account for any last-minute closing costs or expenses.
Plan Your Path to Homeownership With ARQ Wealth
Saving for a home purchase is one of the most exciting phases of life. After all, homeownership is a staple of the American dream. But with home prices at a record high, saving for the biggest expense of your life can be challenging and complex.
From determining how much home you can afford to improving your credit, saving for a down payment, and even trying to earn extra income to meet your goal, there are countless moving parts that influence your journey. That’s why working with a trusted financial advisor can make all the difference.
At ARQ Wealth, our advisors take the guesswork out of the process by helping you build a personalized savings plan, optimizing your cash flow, and aligning your investments with your timeline for homeownership. Whether you’re buying your first home or your next one, our team can help you make confident, informed decisions that bring your goals within reach.
Schedule a free consultation with ARQ Wealth today or call us at (480) 214-9572 to start building your path toward homeownership today.