How do you know if you are financially ready to buy a home?
Experts Casey Jenkins and Alex Becerra discuss essential financial considerations for prospective homebuyers.
BIGGEST MILESTONES. BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE REALLY FINANCIALLY READY FOR THIS SORT OF COMMITMENT. WELL, JOINING US THIS MORNING TO BREAK DOWN WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU TAKE THAT BIG STEP. WE HAVE HOME LOAN MANAGER CASEY JENKINS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST ALEX BECERRA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. CASEY, LET’S START OFF WITH WELL, ACTUALLY, ALEX, LET’S START WITH YOU AGAIN. THIS IS NOT A SMALL INVESTMENT. SO HOW DO FOLKS KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THEY’RE EVEN READY TO PURCHASE A HOME? CERTAINLY THE BIGGEST THING, REALLY, WHEN IT COMES TO ANY BUDGETING PLAN IS TO HAVE A GOAL IN MIND. AND WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE WHAT THOSE GOALS ARE FIRST AND FOREMOST. SO HAVING A REAL, TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE COST OF PURCHASING A HOME IS REALLY YOUR STARTING POINT. AND THEN CREATING AN ACTION PLAN TO HAVE A REGULAR BUDGET, MAKE CONSISTENT DEPOSITS TO THAT BUDGET, AND WATCH YOUR SAVINGS GROW SO THAT YOU CAN PUT YOURSELF IN A WINNING POSITION TO MAKE THAT HOME PURCHASE. YEAH, I MEAN, AND A LOT OF FOLKS END UP LOOKING AT THE PRICE TAG AND SAY, OKAY, WELL, THIS IS THIS IS ALL IT’S GOING TO COST, BUT THERE ARE SOME HIDDEN COSTS THAT YOU ALSO HAVE TO PLAN FOR, CORRECT? YEAH. TYPICALLY YOU NEED TO COME UP WITH AT LEAST THE DOWN PAYMENT MONEY, PLUS THE CLOSING COSTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT TOO. SO DEPENDING ON THE TRANSACTION ITSELF, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET SOME SORT OF SELLER CREDIT TO HELP WITH THAT. OR THERE MIGHT BE INCENTIVES AT YOUR LOCAL BANK OR CREDIT UNION, LIKE WE HAVE, WHICH WE’D LOVE TO HELP PEOPLE WITH THAT AS WELL. YEAH. AND AGAIN, THERE’S A WEBINAR THAT’S COMING UP AND WE’RE GOING TO GET BACK TO THAT IN JUST A LITTLE BIT. SO INTEREST RATES THERE ALSO BEEN PRETTY HIGH FOR A WHILE. THAT’S NOT NEW, BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THOUGH TO GET THAT PRE-APPROVAL LETTER. WHY IS THAT SO HANDY. IT IS IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IN OUR CURRENT MARKET RIGHT NOW, IT’S TAKING ABOUT 50 DAYS FOR A HOME TO SELL. BUT OF THE LISTINGS THAT ARE OUT THERE, ABOUT 32% OF THOSE ARE SELLING IN THE FIRST 14 DAYS. SO THOSE GREAT DEALS YOU NEED TO BE READY AS A HOMEBUYER TO MAKE THAT OFFER AND TO GET INTO CONTRACT RIGHT AWAY. SO, ALEX, I KNOW THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE IN CHARGE OF THIS WEBINAR. WHAT DO YOU THINK MOST PEOPLE WHO MIGHT COME TO THIS AND MIGHT NOT HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION COMING IN? WHAT’S THE BIGGEST SURPRISE, YOU THINK, FOR SOME FOLKS, WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING A HOME? YEAH, I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST SURPRISE IS REALLY JUST KNOWING THAT THIS IS, FOR MOST INDIVIDUALS, THE SINGLE LARGEST TRANSACTION OF THEIR LIFE. AND THERE’S A LOT OF MOVING PARTS. AND SO REALLY EMPOWERING YOURSELF TO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE EDUCATION AND WORK WITH A TEAM OF EXPERTS TO, AGAIN, PUT YOURSELF IN THAT WINNING POSITION IS A KEY COMPONENT OF HAVING YOURSELF, BEING PREPARED AND KNOWING WHAT TRULY IS THIS INVESTMENT THAT YOU’RE LOOKING INTO. ALL RIGHT. AND AGAIN YOU HAVE A WEBINAR COMING UP. SO TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. YEAH. OUR FINANCIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT EVERY MONTH WE DO A SERIES OF WEBINARS. WE BE PRESENTING BUDGETING AND SAVING FOR A HOME. TOMORROW AT 11 A.M. FOLKS CAN GO TO SISKIYOU.ORG TO REGISTER FOR THAT WEBINAR. AND WE HAVE A SUITE, A WHOLE WEALTH OF RESOURCES THAT FOLKS CAN TAP INTO ANY COST, NO COST. OKAY, THAT’S A GOOD PRICE TAG RIGHT THERE. GOOD INCENTIVE. ALL RIGHT. ALEX AND CASEY, THANK YOU GUY
How do you know if you are financially ready to buy a home?
Experts Casey Jenkins and Alex Becerra discuss essential financial considerations for prospective homebuyers.
Updated: 1:55 PM PDT Sep 8, 2025
Buying a home is one of life’s biggest milestones, but how do you know if you’re really financially ready for this sort of commitment? SAFE Credit Union home loan manager Casey Jenkins and community development specialist Alex Becerra joined KCRA 3 for a discussion to break down what you need to know before you take that big step.Bercerra said to first figure out the cost of purchasing a home and then create an action plan for a budget. Jenkins said there may be incentives available to help with down payments and closing costs. See more tips in the video above. A free webinar from SAFE Credit Union will also explore these issues Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can register here.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Buying a home is one of life’s biggest milestones, but how do you know if you’re really financially ready for this sort of commitment?
SAFE Credit Union home loan manager Casey Jenkins and community development specialist Alex Becerra joined KCRA 3 for a discussion to break down what you need to know before you take that big step.
Bercerra said to first figure out the cost of purchasing a home and then create an action plan for a budget.
Jenkins said there may be incentives available to help with down payments and closing costs.
See more tips in the video above.
A free webinar from SAFE Credit Union will also explore these issues Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can register here.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel