5 Ways to save for a Deposit

Saving up to buy a home can seem like a big challenge. Your home is likely the biggest purchase you will ever make, and unlike saving for retirement, this payment is a large sum of money that you will need to access soon. This may seem challenging, but with a solid savings plan, anyone can save enough to put a down payment on their dream home. In this article, we’ll cover 5 easy ways to start saving for your down payment today.

 

Budget your money wisely

The first and most important step in any savings plan is budgeting. To build your budget, examine your bank statements and credit card payments to see where your money is going. Make sure to keep track of how much you spend on necessary payments, such as rent, utilities, and student loan payments if you have them. Next, consider how much you spend on eating out, entertainment, and other nonessentials. While you are saving, it is a good idea to set limits on each of these categories and stick to it, setting aside the …

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First time buyer steps explained

Being able to take out a mortgage has become a major hassle for all types of home buyers, but especially first time buyers. Recently, a 2018 study by the Central Bank reported that the best position to be in so that your request for a loan can be approved by one of the 7 largest lending banks is in a couple with a substantial down payment already available.

This is most likely the case because a couple can bring in two salaries, making a steady stream of income more reliable even if one person were to lose their job. Additionally, having a large down payment reduces risk for the lender. If you were to foreclose on a property, meaning you couldn’t afford to pay your mortgage anymore, there would be significantly less consequences on the lender side.

Although this is an ideal situation for approval, it is not the only solution. Plenty of first time buyers are individuals without extremely high credit scores and salaries, but there are a few key parts that must be fulfilled in order …

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Child saving options

When it comes to opening a savings account, earlier is always better. Especially in Ireland, it can be extremely beneficial to start accounts for children at a young age. Personally, I believe that opening a savings account was a very influential step in the shaping of my financial views.

My first savings account was opened after my first communion, and I’m sure that many other irishmen have had this same experience. For me, this was a huge deal. The money I had gotten from such a special time in my life was now being used to finance my future.

As a child, it is easy to get lost in the concept of money, when you have cash or coins in your hand, it is far more valuable than any amount on a written check. Because of this child-like wonder, the actuality of the value of money is highly skewed.

By teaching your children early the power of independent saving and investing, they will be given the tools that enable them to continue down a more financially stable path …

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RTE Drivetime: ‘Talking Money’ Financial Milestones, 23rd March 2015

The idea of ‘financial milestones’ is that at certain times in a persons life they should have achieved certain financial goals. This isn’t materialism, it’s simply a money amount which demonstrates the level of financial sense being instilled in the person, the same as school tests show levels of literacy etc.

Karl Deeter and Jill Kerby went through some that children should have at certain ages and why they are important.

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If we mess with money lenders people will go to loan sharks.

I have written about regulated money lenders in the past, and frankly, I am astounded at the rates they charge . An effort to cap or reduce the extortionate rates has been shot down.There is a market rationale for higher rates than the high street:

1. As they are regulated that creates a compliance cost of itself that loan sharks don’t have to contend with. 2. The type of lending undertaken is beyond ‘sub-prime’ and the default risk is massive. Unlike a loan shark who will beat somebody up, a regulated money lender only has recourse to the courts. 3. Security costs are high, this type of lending is done door to door and collections are usually done in the same manner, the majority of money lenders therefore have to hire security – something which loan sharks tend to do on their own (they are both lender and enforcer).

Does …

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Sunday Times ‘Money’ Section mentions Irish Mortgage Brokers

We were very pleased to see that we were mentioned in the Sunday Times ‘Money’ section this week in an article by Niall Brady in which he examined the implications of reduced competition and increased regulation in the financial services market in Ireland.

For our part we were asked about mortgage credit and had this to say: ‘Karl Deeter of Irish Mortgage Brokers said: “Lenders are using every blunt instrument in the box to frustrate loan applications. One of my clients was turned down on the pretext her employment wasn’t secure. She works in reinsurance and, because of last year’s record floods, her employer recorded a loss. It is part of a global reinsurance giant, though, that makes €3 billion in profits a year. That’s the type of stupidity that borrowers are dealing with.”

First-time buyers must have at least a 10% deposit and a record of saving to back it up. “Banks aren’t interested in parental gifts or guarantees,” said Deeter. “They …

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If you are in financial trouble, don’t be an idiot

A part of me feels bad about not having any pity for some of the people who recently had their homes repossessed. Note: I said some not ‘all’, the reality is that I agree with repossessions for people who bury their head in the sand. In many cases the person had made no payment in three or four years and avoided any contact from the lender.

How do you negotiate with a person who won’t even come to the table? Or worse yet, who refuses to acknowledge there is an issue to come to the table for! The IBF recently decided to start working with MABS on a new protocol for people in financial difficulty, we fully support such a move, and for people in mortgage arrears, or indeed any financial arrears we even wrote a guide for …

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Debt Reduction Blog 6th August 2008

We have decided to start a weekly debt reduction blog, many people are very conscious of their funds and concerned over what way to utilise any money they have. So starting from today we will have some simple advice on debt reduction. Much of it is common sense but some will (hopefully!) be new information.

First, and most importantly you need to map out your finances, and that’s not as simple as saying ‘I have a current account, a savings account and a few quid with the Credit Union’, by this I mean really getting into your finances and what you are spending money on, account statements, credit card statements and also some idea of any miscellaneous expenses you might have.

Once that’s done you can sit down with a person who is a professional (this can be your broker or accountant), in some cases even a friend who knows more than you do is better than trying to go it alone if you are not financially literate (about which we’ll get back to later). Then you have to examine …

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