Regarding Real Estate LLC
Regarding Real Estate LLC
Johnna Brown, Regarding Real Estate LLCPhone: (603) 930-9927
Email: [email protected]

How to budget for home expenses: The basics

by Johnna Brown 05/19/2023

As a new homeowner, one of the first important tasks to accomplish is making a budget for home expenses. The homebuying process had a budget, but now it’s time to think about taking care of your home and enjoying it to the fullest.

To help you get started on making a household budget, here is a basic guide:

Identify your goals

Deciding on financial goals can be an excellent way to build your budget. Some examples of financial goals to consider might be paying off your mortgage early or financing a major renovation project.

List your expenses

Track your spending habits for a month to examine the details of your cash outflow. Include fixed expenses, like monthly mortgage payments and property taxes. Variable expenses like entertainment, maintenance and transportation costs should also be included.

Record your earnings

Figure out your exact income amount by listing all possible sources of money. This could include regular employment and also gains from selling or renting assets. For budgeting, use your net monthly income rather than gross monthly income to account for taxes.

Find your starting point

Once you have your total monthly expenses and net income numbers, you can do the math. A basic formula for finding a starting budget is: net income - total monthly expenses = monthly budget.

Expect adjustments

After finding your results, you may find opportunities to adjust. For example, you might want to set aside more money into an emergency fund regularly, or find ways to limit your daily spending.

These are only the first steps in creating a workable household budget to account for ongoing costs of homeownership. Use this process as an example for building your own personalized financial plan for your life in your new home.

About the Author
Author

Johnna Brown

 Johnna grew up in Amherst NH and still has strong ties to the Amherst & Mont Vernon Communities. Johnna moved to Manchester at 19 when she purchased her 1st home. She has resided in the West Side of Manchester since 2007. Always having a strong interest in real estate, Johnna and her husband, Jeff, started investing in rental properties in 2017 with the purchase of a 2 bedroom condo in Manchester. They now own 10 properties with the goal of growing to 60 total rental properties. In 2020 Johnna and Jeff started adding short term rentals to their portfolio focusing in the NH Lakes Region and Southern Maine Coast. Johnna achieved Airbnb Super Host and VRBO Premier Host status within the first year. 

From May to October Johnna divides her time between Manchester, NH and her beach cottage in Wells Maine. Johnna’s extensive experience with both long term and short-term rental properties makes her the ideal real estate agent to help you start or build your real estate investment portfolio. Johnna works with a lot of home owners selling their homes and buying homes simultaneously and also sellers relocating out of the area. 

Johnna prides herself in being hard working, dependable and down to earth. In her free time, she enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles and spending time outdoors with her husband, dogs and friends.