9 Steps to Getting the Car You Want
Unless you are going to start collecting 400-foot mega yachts, a vehicle is likely to be one of the largest purchases you will make in your life. By taking the time to properly plan and prepare for buying a car, you can save yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars. Check out these steps to set yourself up for a more secure financial future:
1. Figure out what you can afford.
Complete a spending plan. As you create your spending plan you can adjust the numbers to see how different transportation expenses would fit into your monthly expenses. You can then plug that monthly number into an auto payment calculator to see how much of a total vehicle price you can afford.
2. Monitor your credit.
Review your credit reports. To ensure the accuracy of the reports and pinpoint areas that may need work, use the credit bureaus’ annual credit report service to get free copies of your reports at www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228. If you would like a certified credit coach to review your reports with you, call BALANCE at 888-456-2227.
3. Find the right car for you.
Think about how you will use the vehicle. Will you be using it to cross snow-covered mountain passes with hairpin turns and thousand foot drops, or will you be using your vehicle for something more challenging, like chauffeuring your children?
Pay special attention to the safety and reliability ratings. No car meets your needs when it’s up on blocks next to the garage or puts you at personal risk of harm.
Check with your insurance provider. That cherry-red sports car might sound like the key to your eternal happiness, but you might not be as thrilled when you get your car insurance bill.
4. Consider new vs. used, buying vs. leasing and down payment amount.
Decide whether you will buy a new or used vehicle. Do you prefer the negligible wear-and-tear and increased reliability of a new vehicle, even if it means the value may drop sharply in the first few years? Or would you rather let someone else take on that depreciation by going with a used vehicle, but take the risk of not fully knowing the condition and history of the vehicle?
Figure out if you would rather buy or lease the vehicle. If the idea of always driving a new car matters more to you than likely saving money in the long-run, leasing might be an option to consider.
Think about how large of a down payment you can make. Making a down payment can help you get qualified for a loan, get a better interest rate, get a lower monthly payment, get a more expensive car for the same monthly payment, or build equity (owing less on the vehicle than it is worth) more quickly.
5. Get financing.
Get pre-approved before you go to the dealership. You will have a lot to think about when you are at the dealership looking at cars: different vehicles available, test-driving, negotiating a price, etc. Just like you shop around for a good deal on a car, shop around for the best deal on financing.
6. Determine favorites, contact dealers and check quality.
Find the vehicles that best fit your needs. Websites like cars.com, CNBC, Consumer Reports, Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book and Yahoo Autos regularly publish articles on the best vehicles to meet particular needs, so take advantage of these free resources. Create a comparison chart to keep track of all the attributes that matter most to you and how each vehicle stacks up.
Use the Internet or trips to dealerships to comparison shop. Once you know which vehicle will suit you best, start looking at particular models and add the prices of each to your comparison chart. Also, do test drives and check vehicle histories. During the test drive, pay special attention to the transmission, shocks, brakes and alignment. If you aren’t sure what to look or listen for, invite a more experienced driver along on the test drive. Write down the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and use it to get a vehicle history report from a company like AutoCheck or CARFAX if you are shopping for a used vehicle.
7. Get the best price on the car.
Negotiate each piece of the deal separately. Beware of salespeople who roll the different components of the transaction (purchase price, financing, trade-in, extras) into one deal or who make an offer in one area of the deal that sounds too good to be true. Take advantage of our Auto Advisors and they will do the negotiation for you.
Walk away if you are not happy with the deal. You know what you can afford and ultimately you control this transaction, so let the salesperson know you know where the door is and that you won’t hesitate to use it if they can’t meet your number.
8 Know your legal responsibilities.
Find out the insurance necessary for your state. The Insurance Information Institute’s website at www.iii.org has a list of the minimum insurance requirement for each state.
Learn what the DMV requirements are for your area. Contact your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to make sure you have the proper license plate stickers or any other items that might be necessary to register your vehicle.
Know what to do if you can’t make your car payment. If you find yourself in a situation where you are struggling to make a car payment, the worst possible thing you can do is to avoid your lender. Instead, work to avoid repossession by staying in contact and asking about hardship programs.
9 Put yourself in position to succeed long-term.
Establish an emergency savings account. Unexpected expenses have a way of popping up in life and vehicles can be a major source of these.
Save on gas. Consider ways you can get more out of the gas you buy, like using the air conditioning sparingly and removing heavy items from the trunk.
Save on your insurance. Shopping for the best insurance deal is always a good idea, but think about all the ways you could get a better deal, like improving your credit score, buying a used car instead of a new one and avoiding 4-wheel drive and high performance cars.
8 First-Time Home Buying Mistakes
Buying your first home can be exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. However, it is always better to start your home hunting with an idea of the mistakes you should avoid.
Mistake 1: Using the same agent as the seller.
How to avoid it: You may be told that you can save money by using one real estate agent for the transaction. However, the reality is that you are much better served by having someone looking out for ONLY your best interests.
Mistake 2: Buying points without considering how long you will stay in the home.
How to avoid it: When you buy points on a mortgage, you lower the interest rate on the loan by providing more money up-front. This certainly makes sense if you are planning on staying in the property long-term and will save a large amount of money by paying less interest over that time frame. However, if you plan on moving within a few years or are buying the home with the idea of selling it relatively quickly, it probably doesn’t make much sense to buy points.
Mistake 3: Using an adjustable rate mortgage to buy before you are ready.
How to avoid it: One of the reasons for the housing crisis of the late 2000’s and early 2010’s was that homebuyers were being encouraged to buy homes they couldn’t afford using a low initial interest rate that they could theoretically renegotiate as the value of the home increased. The problem came when many of those homes didn’t increase in value. Gambling that you will be able to refinance a mortgage or sell the home before the rate increases is not only risky, but puts you in a very stressful position as a homeowner.
Mistake 4: Including closing costs in the loan.
How to avoid it: The lender may provide you the option of including the closing costs in the mortgage loan if you are not able to meet this expense at the time of closing. However, financing these costs means paying more since you will have to pay interest too. You are better off saving up for closing costs ahead of time since this will cost you much less in the long-run.
Mistake 5: Being unaware of service contracts for your home.
How to avoid it: Hot water heater broken? Before you shell out the cash to have it fixed, check the paperwork to see if repairs are covered in a service contract included in the loan agreement. You don’t want to pay out of pocket for something that is already covered.
Mistake 6: Thinking a passing home inspection grade means no worries.
How to avoid it: The best home inspectors will give you notes on possible future trouble areas even if they are working fine right now. However, this isn’t always the case. Don’t assume that a home inspector signing off on a property means that there won’t be any major expenses in the near future. Assuming that repair costs will spring up eventually and preparing accordingly is the best practice.
Mistake 7: Not planning to have HOA fees.
How to avoid it: With all the costs popping up as you move through the buying process, it can be easy to forget about Homeowners Association Fee. Unless you have money to burn, a successful home buying experience is going to involve understanding first what you can afford and then the total monthly cost of the property you are looking at—including potential increases.
Mistake 8: Failing to plan for potential increases in insurance or property taxes.
How to avoid it: With a fixed-rate mortgage, you might think your mortgage expenses are locked-in. But think for a moment of parts of the country hit by natural disasters in the past few years. Many homeowners in these areas have seen dramatic increases in their homeowners’ insurance as a result. Hopefully you won’t be hit by any cataclysms, but even if the odds of this are low, it’s still wise to have some money set aside in a housing fund to cover increased costs.
Avoid jumping into your new home without being completely informed of the responsibility you will take.
How Can High Rates Affect You?
Our lives are run by loans. We have credit cards, mortgages, car loans, you name it. A big change you should be aware of this year is the rate increased made by the federal government. How can this affect you?
- Your credit card rate may go up.
Credit card rates vary between financial institutions and are determined by your credit history. An increase on the target rate may affect the time in which you finish paying off your loan.
What can you do?
Take advantage of your Cash Rewards, points, and find which credit cards benefit your spending power.
- Your mortgage payments may increase
If you have an adjustable-rate mortgage, your rate may increase. Look into the possibility of refinancing into a fixed-rate mortgage (where your rate will not change in the future.) Do not get discourage if you are thinking of buying a home soon, owning property is always a good investment. Just be conscious and do not exceed your spending limit, you never want to go house poor.
- Higher rates on savings may help you
Worrying about high rates is normal, just keep in mind high rates may positively affect your savings. However, saving returns take time to grow. Do not expect your savings account to double overnight.
Plan ahead and budget accordingly. Do not let high rates scare you. See the positive, start saving more and spending less. Treat yourself once in while, but don’t over do it. It’s all about keeping a good balance.
3 Reasons You Should Teach Your Kids How to Manage Money
The main role you have as a parent is to guide, teach, and keep your children safe. One day they will go on their own and realize the world is a tough place to live in. Everything you teach them at a young age will build a foundation for their future. Teaching them the importance of money management can help them:
- Learn the meaning of financial responsibility
You can start by giving them a small allowance for doing chores. Pick a small amount like $10 and teach them to use the money carefully and save. Little kids grasp everything quickly and teaching them how to manage money wisely is a lesson that will last a lifetime. - Use credit cards correctly
Managing credit cards can be challenging for adults. Teaching them about credit ratings and the benefits of having good credit can help them improve their financial future. - Prevent Impulse Spending
Impulse spending is a big problem in our consumer based society. Your kids are continually bombarded with advertising on TV, social media, and by walking into a store. Teaching children money management at an early age can help them understand the real value of a dollar.
As you can see, teaching your kids about money at an early age can help them improve their financial life. It is up you, as a parent, to pass these lessons along so they can build a brighter financial future.