How to Buy Your First Home: A CNBC Make It Course
Confidently navigate every step of the homebuying process, from financial preparation and mortgage basics to negotiating strategies and closing the deal.
Owning a home has long been part of the American Dream, but for first-time buyers, the process can feel confusing and out of reach.
Smarter by CNBC Make It's new online course, How to Buy Your First Home, is a practical guide to navigating the homebuying journey with confidence.
Whether you're deciding between renting or buying, starting the mortgage process, or figuring out where to live, our three expert instructors will teach you how to prepare financially, avoid costly mistakes, and take smart steps toward homeownership.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Latinos benefited from Trump's tax cuts. Here's why they should be extended
According to a recent poll, the number one concern for the Latino community is jobs and the economy. Like most Americans, Latinos – including those here in Tennessee – are slowly crawling their way out of the pit that was Bidenomics. Years of overspending and over-regulating contributed to inflation and a high cost of living, making it seem like the American Dream was out of reach. To the surprise of some (not us), many Latinos voted Republican in last year's presidential election to usher in a change in Washington. The new administration has hit the ground running, prioritizing pro-growth economic policies like reducing government waste, fraud, and abuse. But considerable work remains. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved H.R. 1, better known as the Big Beautiful Bill—legislation that would, among other things, extend the 2017 Trump Tax Cuts, providing tax relief to middle-class Americans and job creators. More: Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill passes House. Here's what's next for child tax credits, no tax on tips One analysis concludes that if the Big Beautiful Bill is not signed into law, the average family will pay an average of $1,500 more in taxes next year! Now the bill heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration, and every indication suggests that Tennessee's two senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, will vote for this critical legislation to grow our economy. But like most things, it won't be easy. Besides policy disagreements among Republicans, Democrats are resorting to scare tactics and half-truths to portray this bill as a massive tax break for the rich. In fact, the opposite is true. Soon after President Trump signed the 2017 tax cuts into law, the economy grew. This boom benefited all Americans, but especially Latinos. For example, in 2019, the Latino unemployment rate reached historic lows. Around the same time, Latino entrepreneurship and home ownership rates skyrocketed. Consumer confidence soared, and more and more Latinos felt like they were beginning to live out their version of the American Dream. Then COVID hit, and the economy took a nosedive. A new administration promised to change this, but overspending contributed to debilitating inflation for the Latino community. The Trump White House and Republicans in Congress desperately want to right this ship, but intraparty fighting threatens a tremendous opportunity to grow our economy. It is going to take more than one bill to fix our economy, but Republicans must deliver for the American people and follow through on one of their biggest campaign promises. Latinos voted in higher numbers for Republicans in last year's elections because they want to work and provide for their families. Just about everything else is secondary when there is not enough food on the table. And because Latinos have less disposable income than other Americans, inflation and a high cost of living are especially difficult. Opinion: Trump gained Latino voters because Harris did not respond to top concerns Democrats bet the barn in thinking that they could run the same playbook of scaremongering to win over Latino voters, but they were sharply repudiated come Election Day. That's because Latinos, like most Americans, want results. Now that President Donald Trump is in the White House, the new administration can lay down an important cornerstone to his promise to Make America Great Again. Latino voters in Tennessee, like elsewhere in the country, are eagerly watching and hoping the president is successful. Raul Lopez is the founder and chairman of Latinos for Tennessee, and Rev. Tommy Vallejos is a co-founder and the executive director. Latinos for Tennessee is an organization committed to expanding faith, family and freedom for Tennessee's growing Latino community. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is a win for Latinos | Opinion
CNBC
14 hours ago
- CNBC
59% of Americans under 25 say a well-funded savings account is a top priority—3 steps to get started
Young adults say they want to save, but it's unclear if they are. While 59% of Americans ages 18 to 25 say a well-funded savings account is a top priority, according to a survey commissioned by financial software firm Intuit in April, many are struggling to reach that goal. Among Gen Z adults ages 18 to 27 in the U.S., only 15% were regularly putting a portion of their paycheck into a savings account, according to a survey by Bank of America released last year, and less than half of U.S. adults surveyed by Bankrate earlier this year said they could use their savings to cover an $1,000 emergency expense. So, just how much should you have in your bank account? Generally, you should keep enough money to cover a month's worth of bills in your checking account, and experts say to aim to have enough in your savings account to cover three to six months of expenses in case of emergency. After that, you can start looking toward saving for retirement, Nathan Sebesta, a certified financial planner and owner of Access Wealth Strategies, a financial services firm in Artesia, New Mexico, tells CNBC Make It. Here are three tips on how to start building your savings. The biggest trap Sebesta believes young adults can fall for when managing their money is letting spending rise with increases in income, he says. A raise can be great for saving, but if you buy a new car or rent a nicer apartment because of it, there may not be any left to save. Young adults may feel pressured to financially keep up with friends or people they see on social media, and they often fail to recognize that every financial situation is different, Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner and founder of Bone Fide Wealth, told CNBC Make It in August. "If you focus on yourself and work on what you can control, you're going to be better off for it. Saving is great, but the discipline around how you manage your money is far better," Boneparth said. Without knowing where your money goes each month, it's nearly impossible to make informed decisions about saving, investing or paying off debt, Tracy Sherwood, a CFP in Clarence, New York, told CNBC Make It in November. Going through your bank and credit card statements manually or with a budgeting app can not only help with identifying and cutting unnecessary expenses, but it can also serve as a baseline for any future financial decisions you decide to make, she said. A common budgeting model says to put 50% of your paycheck toward essential costs like food and rent, 30% to wants that may not be essential like ice cream after dinner and 20% toward savings and paying down debt. But that doesn't always work for everyone. After paying for essentials, aim to consistently put a portion of your income toward your financial goals — even if it's far less than 20%. "Even starting with $20 a month can make a difference," Ramit Sethi, a self-made millionaire and host of Netflix's "How to Get Rich," told CNBC in 2023. You can also set up automatic transfers so the money comes directly out of your paycheck each month, with a goal of gradually increasing your savings rate as your income grows, he said. "If you are in your 20s, you have an amazing opportunity, even if your earnings are not that high, to set up your habits right," Sethi said. ,
CNBC
17 hours ago
- CNBC
CNBC Launches New Online Course on How to Buy Your First Home
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., June 3, 2025 – CNBC, First in Business Worldwide, today announced the launch of its new Smarter by CNBC Make It online course, How to Buy Your First Home, hosted by CNBC Make It Success Reporter Ashton Jackson. The course offers users a comprehensive guide to mastering the homebuying process, providing essential insights on how to prepare financially, avoid costly mistakes, and take informed steps toward homeownership. People who take the course receive over 110 minutes of instructional video content, divided into concise lessons that help users determine whether buying a home is the right step, understand mortgages and down payments without confusion, navigate the house-hunting process, and ultimately, make an offer and close the deal. Users also receive a downloadable workbook with exercises to complete at their own pace Seasoned professionals in real estate, mortgages, and the housing market provide users with actionable strategies and a clear, step-by-step roadmap to help them get financially ready, explore their options, and confidently move toward purchasing a home. Experts featured include: · Dana Bull, Licensed REALTOR®, Compass · James Choudhury, Branch Manager at Cliffco Mortgage Bankers · Dr. Skylar Olsen, Chief Economist at Zillow "Buying a home is still a cornerstone of the American Dream, but it is increasingly out of reach for many young professionals," said Jenna Goudreau, Vice President and Executive Editor of CNBC Make It. "For millennials and Gen Z, buying in today's housing market may look different from their parents' generation, with increased costs and competition, higher rates, and limited supply. It is possible, though, and we hope our new Smarter by CNBC Make It course helps users better understand their options and key strategies to make it happen." Smarter by CNBC Make It courses offer expert-led instructions, actionable insights and comprehensive curricula that help users boost their career and income. Users can find courses on a variety of subjects available for purchase at
