Plan the path to your first home.

Yes. The planning tools on this page are free, run right in your browser, and ask for no login and no email. Use them as many times as you like while you plan your purchase — nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

It depends on the price, your loan type, and your timeline. My Path to Homeownership builds a personal savings roadmap — how much to set aside and by when — to reach your down payment and closing costs on a South Coast home. It turns a big goal into a month-by-month plan you can actually follow.

A down payment is the share of the price you pay up front, with a loan covering the rest. Many first-time buyers put down 3% to 5%, and some programs go lower; 20% avoids mortgage insurance. On a $350,000 home, 5% is $17,500. My Path to Homeownership sizes the target for your price and loan.

Closing costs are the one-time fees to finalize your loan and purchase — lender fees, appraisal, title insurance, attorney fees, and prepaid taxes and insurance. They commonly run 2% to 5% of the price, separate from your down payment. On a $350,000 home that is $7,000 to $17,500, so the savings plan includes them.

PMI is private mortgage insurance, an added monthly charge lenders require when your down payment is under 20%. It protects the lender, not you, and drops off once you reach 20% equity. You avoid it by putting 20% down or using a loan that handles insurance differently. Ask your lender how PMI affects your monthly payment.

Many loan programs accept scores in the low-to-mid 600s, and a higher score earns a lower interest rate, which lowers your monthly payment. Before house-hunting, check your score, pay down balances, and avoid new debt. A small rate improvement saves thousands over the loan, so the prep work pays off directly.

A typical payment has four parts, called PITI — principal, interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance — plus PMI if your down payment is under 20%. Principal and interest are set by the loan amount, rate, and term. Property taxes and insurance vary by town and home, so budget the full payment, not just principal and interest.

It shows your true monthly payment, not just principal and interest. Enter the home price, down payment, rate, and term, then add property tax, insurance, HOA, and PMI to see the full PITI figure lenders qualify you on. It also builds a year-by-year amortization schedule and shows how much extra principal each month saves in interest and time.

Start with what you pay in rent today. The calculator treats that payment as a mortgage and reverse-solves the home price it could carry, then walks the years forward. Rent leaves you with nothing; the same payment on a home builds equity through paydown and appreciation. It is a starting point to picture renting as spending and owning as saving.

Every rent check is money gone for good. A mortgage payment splits in two: interest, which is a cost, and principal, which pays down your loan and becomes equity you own. That equity is forced savings, because the same money you would have spent on rent builds net worth instead. Appreciation on the home adds to it over time.

Yes. The Mortgage Calculator adds property tax, homeowners insurance, HOA dues, and PMI on top of principal and interest, so you see the full payment lenders use to qualify you. PMI auto-hides once your down payment reaches 20%. The Buy vs. Rent tool is a simpler equity picture and notes that taxes, insurance, and upkeep add real cost.

It depends on your target and how much you set aside each month. My Path to Homeownership works backward from your goal: enter the home price and your monthly savings, and it shows your timeline, then lets you adjust either number. Seeing the finish line is what keeps a savings plan on track.

It comes down to how long you will stay, local prices, and your savings. Buying builds equity and locks your housing cost; renting stays flexible with no maintenance or closing costs. If you plan to stay several years and the payment fits your budget, buying is the stronger long-run move. Map your savings first, then talk through the timing with an agent.

Both. Fortified represents buyers across Massachusetts — a licensed agent handles your offer, the agency disclosures, the negotiation, and the path through to closing, so you are not navigating the contract or the deadlines alone. David M. Ferreira, MA Broker #9537412; Fortified Realty Group, LLC, MA Company License #422173.

A buyer's agent finds and shows homes, runs the comps so you offer the right price, writes and submits the offer packet, handles the agency disclosures, and negotiates repairs and terms through to the keys. You focus on choosing the home; the agent handles the paperwork and the back-and-forth so nothing slips.

Talk to a buyer's agent when you are ready to start looking. We line up the offer strategy, run the comps, and walk you through to closing, step by step, so nothing slips. David M. Ferreira, MA Broker #9537412; Fortified Realty Group, LLC — call (508) 671-7228 or send a message.