"I just got sick of landlords wanting extra money other than rent...my ideal housing situation is owning my own home, not having to pay anyone else's mortgage and taxes for them."

- Dana | Strong Blocks Rent to Own Milwaukee Resident

Buying a home will likely be the most expensive and important purchase you will make. But considering many Milwaukee renters are paying at least $100 more each month then they would likely pay to own and maintain a home; it is worth it to buy.  

To lesson the fear of making a mistake, in our last education post we talked about two major mistakes first-time homebuyer make and how to avoid them. We are back with three more mistakes to help you learn what not to do... 

If you are like many Americans, you get excited around tax time to see that pretty chunk of change available at your fingertips. Face it, we could all use more cash, there never seems to be enough to go around. 

However, your tax refund is not free money. It is your hard earned income that the government has been collecting from your paycheck throughout the year to cover your tax burdens. If the taxes you owed is less than what the government has collected through the year, you'll be getting a tax refund. Since this is your money, lets talk about a few ways you can keep more of it for yourself...

As a first time homebuyer, the process may seem daunting; but it doesn't have to be. There is a wealth of information at your fingertips these days with many trustworthy books and websites out there to walk you through the process, step by step. For example, HUD is a governement website with info, videos, and homebuyer programs to guide you through the process. 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy is also a good site for homebuyer advice and handy calculators - be advised there are quite a few ads.

There are many resources that you can help you on your path to homeownership. But doing all this research can give us information overlord, sometimes a what not to do list can help us more than anything.

Attention to all those chasing that 850 FICO score... Length of Credit History is 15% of your score.  If you are trying to build your credit score...

You long for the day of being able to own your home.  Whether it's a big backyard or just the peace of mind and not having to deal with a landlord, one obstacles you might face is saving for a down payment for your mortgage or the up-front cash needed to buy a rent to own home in Milwaukee. With a bit of help and hard work, you'll be able to build the savings you need to get into that home. 

I previously discussed determining the amount of money you will need to get into a home. But you may be wondering how you can build up enough savings to meet these requirements if you simply don't have the funds right now. Here are 5 great tips...