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Buy your first home

“Renting feels like throwing money away — is it?”

From what renting really costs to the mortgage, the closing, and the bills nobody mentions after you get the keys.

11 lessons · about 70 minutes · across 4 tracks · 100% free

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Start the path What renting actually costs (it's not just the rent)
  1. Renting your first place

    1. What renting actually costs (it's not just the rent)

    The advertised rent is one line in the real move-in bill. Learn the full cash stack: first month, deposit, fees, insurance, utility deposits, and what's due before you get keys.

    5 min read

  2. Renting your first place

    2. Building credit and savings as a renter

    Landlords check your credit, rent can sometimes count toward it, and an emergency fund matters more when you don't own the roof. Learn how each piece works for renters.

    6 min read

  3. Mortgages

    3. Down payments, PMI & what you can actually afford

    The 20% down payment is a myth that keeps people renting for years. Here's what lenders require, what PMI costs, and how to find your real budget, not the bank's.

    7 min read

  4. Mortgages

    4. Fixed vs. adjustable & 15 vs. 30 years — choosing your loan

    Two choices shape what your mortgage costs: does the rate move, and how long do you take to pay? The same $300,000 loan can cost $153,000 in interest, or $383,000.

    6 min read

  5. Mortgages

    5. The buying process, start to finish

    Pre-approval, offers, earnest money, inspection, appraisal, escrow, points, rate locks — the whole home-buying gauntlet in order, plus the traps that could cost you real money.

    6 min read

  6. The True Cost of Owning a Home

    6. The real monthly cost of owning

    Your mortgage payment is only part of what a home costs each month. Stack principal, interest, taxes, insurance, PMI, utilities and upkeep into the true number before you sign.

    7 min read

  7. The True Cost of Owning a Home

    7. Maintenance and the 1% rule

    Maintenance is the cost almost nobody budgets for. Use the 1% rule and the per-square-foot rule to size a monthly set-aside, and plan for the roof before it fails.

    7 min read

  8. The True Cost of Owning a Home

    8. Property taxes and insurance

    Property taxes and homeowners insurance are the costs most likely to rise. Learn how assessments work, the exemption and appeal levers, what a policy excludes, and why replacement cost matters.

    7 min read

  9. The True Cost of Owning a Home

    9. Building a homeowner financial system

    Turn the true cost of owning into a system: separate sinking funds, a home emergency buffer, a yearly equity check, and when PMI removal and refinancing come into view.

    7 min read

  10. Insurance basics beyond health

    10. How insurance actually works

    Insurance trades a small, predictable premium for protection against a loss you can't absorb. Learn the four numbers on every policy and when a higher deductible saves you money.

    6 min read

  11. Insurance basics beyond health

    11. Auto, renters, and home insurance

    Liability, collision and comprehensive on your car; belongings, liability and loss of use on your home. Learn what each pays, the settings that decide payouts, and what's excluded.

    6 min read

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