If you are receiving unsolicited phone calls from an entity pretending to be ACCC (a trusted non-profit credit counseling agency), please be assured that ACCC’s policy is NEVER to contact you unless you’ve explicitly requested us to call you. Also be cautious of emails from an unusual or unfamiliar domain. ACCC’s domain extension is @consumercredit.com, and any emails using a different extension should be treated with suspicion.

×

ACCC’s Client Login allows current clients to access their program information, including the due date, program benefits, and other documents.

Select a Client Login below based on the service that you are currently enrolled in:

Debt Management Program

Client Login

Not yet a client, but looking to get started?

ACCC offers debt relief options to individuals and families that are suffering from stress related to credit card debt by providing effective credit counseling, helping to consolidate debt, and advising on debt management.

Get Started

Wait!

You are now leaving the Consumer Credit website and are going to a website that is not operated by ACCC. We are not responsible for the content or availability of linked sites.

Are you sure you want to leave?

No, return me to the previous page.

Yes

How To Prepare For Buying A Home

The home buying process is a stressful affair. This is most likely the single largest financial investment anyone will make in their lives. Therefore it is important that you prepare for buying a home in advance. Working vigorously towards debt relief and being smart in your financial management is key to a solid foundation in the process. The most important part of being a first time home buyer is deciding ahead of time what you can afford. From then on, you take the steps to prepare for a long-term financial commitment.

Use ACCC's tips to prepare for buying a home.

Use ACCC’s tips to prepare for buying a home.

Advice to Prepare for Buying a Home

  1. Check & improve credit – Our credit counseling advice is to check your credit report with all three credit reporting agencies. This ensures there is no erroneous information on individual credit reports. Consumers should focus on making their credit score as strong as possible. With a score of 760 or higher, consumers can qualify for the lowest interest rates. Anything below can still qualify, but the interest rates will be higher.
  2. Take a pre-purchase homebuyer education course – Homebuyer education classes save consumers time and stress. Offered both online and in person, these classes provide a thorough background on home buying advice and information, including different types of loans that may be available.
  3. Know your budget – Take a look at your budget to see if there is anything you can live without or cut back on. It is important that Millennials know their limits when it comes to purchasing a house. Be sure to factor in all the expenses that come with owning a home, such as property taxes, insurance, potential HOA fees, maintenance and other expenses.
  4. Manage Debt – Pay down outstanding debts, including credit cards and current loans, such as a car loan. Paying down current debt can help prepare consumers for the financial responsibility they are about to endure with home ownership.
  5. Save – The more money Millennials are able to put down towards their mortgage loan, the more attractive they are to lenders. If a consumer is able to put down more than 20 percent, they will not have to pay private mortgage insurance.

If you’re struggling to pay off debt, ACCC can help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today. 

ABOUT AUTHOR / Dilini

Dilini is a Marketing Communications & Programs Associate at ACCC. To anyone, managing finances can be a real challenge! Any tips and tricks to help get through this are great! Dilini will share her experiences, tips, and tricks along the way through the Talking Cents blog. Stay tuned!

View all author posts →

creditU

Your Ultimate Money Management App

Meet CreditU, the ultimate one-stop debt and financial management app! See your full financial overview, including debts, income, expenses, and savings.

CreditU Apple App Store
Dev Tool:

Request: blog/how-to-prepare-for-buying-a-home
Matched Rewrite Rule: blog/([^/]+)/?$
Matched Rewrite Query: post_type=post&name=how-to-prepare-for-buying-a-home
Loaded Template: single.php