Set a budget. Making sure you can meet your projected future home payment is probably the most important part of successful homeownership.

Include PITI (principal, interest, taxes and insurance) in your budget. Mortgage calculators will show you how much you’ll pay toward principal and interest every month. Remember that you’ll also have to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance. Some financial institutions will require you to contribute these funds monthly along with your principal and interest payment. Be sure to talk to your lender to understand what will be included in your monthly payment.

Know how much cash you’ll need at closing.  Putting less than 20% down will typically require you to pay for private mortgage insurance (keep reading for more on that). Closing costs could be about 3-7% of the total loan amount and will include charges such as loan origination fees, title insurance and appraisal fees.

Budget for private mortgage insurance. For conventional financing, PMI is typically necessary if you don’t make at least a 20% down payment when you buy your home. Make sure you know how much this cost will be and factor it into your monthly home payment budget.