Thursday 18 July 2013

Conserving Energy In Your New Home

By Maryl Joop


One of the many resources that returning veterans are taking advantage of is the VA home loan program offered by private lenders with the permission of the United States government. VA home loans have made the dream of buying a home a tangible possibility for returning and qualified veterans.

The first thing you will want to do when getting a VA home loan is get pre-approved. That way, you will have a guarantee that you can get the loan before you start making plans with what you're going to do with the loan money.

Creating a usable budget isn't that hard. It takes a couple hours of extended thought and you can have it on paper.

All you need to do is determine how much you can expect to make each month and how much of that will need to be set aside into two categories: set expenses and fluid expenses. First, take out a piece of paper and list out all of your sources of income every month. Next to each source of income, list how much money you can rely on to come through every month. Add these numbers up to get a workable total.

Many people who are looking into buying homes do not know specifically how much money they want to spend on a home. They simply walk around looking at homes without really deciding within what range they would like to pay for a house.

Heating and cooling costs can comprise the bulk of a monthly utility bill. Both gas and electric energy are needed to heat or cool the home, and as such, running the heater or air conditioner constantly within the home can make the monthly costs skyrocket.

More than just bills, this can also include money you set aside for savings accounts, entertainment, or hobbies. Remember that saving money and discretionary expenses are required to live a balanced lifestyle. Double check that you've listed every set expense you can expect. Total up the amounts and set that into your budget.

Keeping the room temperature of a house and the thermostat set to seventy five is usually a good temperature for energy conservation. Additionally, a new homeowner can shut off the thermostat and attempt to cool or warm the home through other methods.

Another great tip for effectively using your VA home loan is to check your credit before you do anything else. If your credit looks good, you will be able to be approved for a higher loan amount.

In the same manor, simply dressing warmly in the house during the winter will allow a homeowner to keep heating costs low. Turning the thermostat down in the winter and bundling up with warm clothes and blankets can drastically reduce the cost of heating a home.

Subtract that from the total circled in the "set expenses" section. If you end up with a negative number, then you'll need to adjust some of the numbers on your fluid expenses until you come out positive again. Sometimes this may mean cutting out an unnecessary expense to make ends meet (like a Netflix account and a cable subscription). If that's the case, you can look through your set expenses to see what can be cut as well.

If an error is made, it could seriously affect not only your credit score, but also your ability to purchase the house you ultimately desire with your VA home loan.




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