{"id":9697,"date":"2026-06-17T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/?p=9697"},"modified":"2026-06-17T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T16:00:00","slug":"2026-first-time-buyers-need-savings-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/2026-first-time-buyers-need-savings-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 First-Time Buyers Need Savings Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"video-zmyer\">\n<div class=\"video-frame-zmyer\">\n        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\"\n                src=\"https:\/\/www.roomvu.com\/agent\/embed\/lisa-miller-2\/saving-house-buyers\"\n                frameborder=\"0\"\n                allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\"\n                allowfullscreen><br \/>\n        <\/iframe>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"video-description-zmyer\">\n<p>First-time buyers need more than a deposit: closing costs, moving expenses, insurance, taxes, lender fees, and repairs all belong in the plan.<br \/>\n2026 may offer decent opportunities for stable, prepared buyers, with 30-yr fixed mortgages in the low-6% range and easing forecast ahead this yr.<br \/>\nA buyer&#039;s market can expand choices and strengthen negotiation, especially when inventory exceeds demand and fewer buyers compete for similar nearby homes.<br \/>\nSaving ~20% remains a common target; conventional loans require 620 credit scores, while government-backed options may allow 580, or lower with larger deposits.<br \/>\nPre-approval helps buyers set a realistic range before house hunting, and emergency savings help manage urgent repairs while building habits for future purchases.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First-time buyers need more than a deposit: closing costs, moving expenses, insurance, taxes, lender fees, and repairs all belong in the plan. 2026 may offer decent opportunities for stable, prepared buyers, with 30-yr fixed mortgages in the low-6% range and easing forecast ahead this yr. A buyer&#039;s market can expand choices and strengthen negotiation, especially [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","content-type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paOTA9-2wp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9800,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/phoenix-buyers-may-be-overpaying-mortgages\/","url_meta":{"origin":9697,"position":0},"title":"Phoenix Buyers May Be Overpaying Mortgages","author":"admin","date":"July 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A new US analysis found nearly nine in 10 homebuyers paid more than necessary because they did not secure the most competitive mortgage offer. The typical borrower spent >$3.3K extra each yr, and over a 30-yr loan that gap reached ~$78K in added mortgage costs overall. For many buyers in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/homebuyers-overpay-mortgage-remotion-videos-b551_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9943,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/us-mortgage-rates-hold-mid-6\/","url_meta":{"origin":9697,"position":1},"title":"US Mortgage Rates Hold Mid-6%","author":"admin","date":"September 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In Mid-Q3, the avg. 30-yr fixed rate sat near 7%, and an expert expected near-term borrowing costs to stay in the mid-6% range. Across major forecasts, analysts expected the 30-yr fixed rate to remain ~6% to mid-6% through 2028, with no return to much lower ranges. For buyers, waiting on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/mortgage-rate-forecast-predictions-for-the-housing-market-through-2028-c128_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9748,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/us-older-homes-carry-hidden-costs\/","url_meta":{"origin":9697,"position":2},"title":"US Older Homes Carry Hidden Costs","author":"admin","date":"July 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Older homes may cost ~50% more to repair and maintain than newer homes, making early budgeting essential before buyers commit to a purchase. A contractor review before purchase can reveal hidden work, from mold or asbestos remediation to structural issues, termites, plumbing, or electrical moves. Even a $6K wall project\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hidden-costs-homes-remotion-videos_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9946,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/existing-home-sales-slip\/","url_meta":{"origin":9697,"position":3},"title":"Existing Home Sales Slip","author":"admin","date":"September 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"US existing-home sales slipped 1.7% in Early-Q3 to a 4.06M annual pace, slightly above economists' expectations and still \u21910.7% on a yearly basis. Median existing-home prices reached a record for Early-Q3 at $434.1K, while the benchmark 30-yr fixed mortgage rate climbed near 7%, highest in >1 yr. Inventory stayed tight\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/us-existing-home-sales-fall-17-amid-record-prices-remotion-videos-7491_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8449,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/whats-the-wait-time-for-first-time-buyers-in-arizona\/","url_meta":{"origin":9697,"position":4},"title":"What\u2019s the Wait Time for First-Time Buyers in Arizona?","author":"admin","date":"June 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A new study has ranked U.S. states based on the difficulty first-time homebuyers face when trying to enter the housing market. Arizona ranks #7 overall (tied), making it one of the seventh hardest states for first-time buyers to afford a home. The median home value in Arizona is $403K, with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/arizona-firsttime-wait_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9934,"url":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/us-buyers-navigate-low-6-rate-outlook\/","url_meta":{"origin":9697,"position":5},"title":"US Buyers Navigate Low-6% Rate Outlook","author":"admin","date":"August 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"An industry group projected the 30-yr fixed mortgage rate would hold in the low-6% range through the rest of 2026 nationally for buyers. That outlook suggested borrowing costs would stay elevated, continuing to compress affordability for US households shopping the new-home market in the balance of 2026. Entry-level buyers faced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/new-home-sales-edge-up-but-the-year-over-year-gap-widens-d60f_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/saving-house-buyers_share.jpg?fit=496%2C279&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9697"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9699,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9697\/revisions\/9699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lisamillerpllc.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}