Welcome to the First Home - California Podcast

First Home California

The Department of Real Estate launched the First Home - California podcast in September 2023, with the goal of helping consumers get to a place where they know what to expect during the homebuying process, and to help them make sure they're ready to make informed decisions about what will likely be the biggest purchase of their life.

Each episode of the podcast will focus on a specific part of the homebuying process.

Please hit "Follow" on your podcast app so you'll never miss an episode. Below you will find a summary of the episodes, along with a list of the topics covered. We welcome your feedback at: editor@dre.ca.gov

Please visit our website at: https://dre.ca.gov/FirstHomeCalifornia


Episode #100       First Home - California Overview

Episode Date: August 31, 2023

Welcome to First Home - California, the Department of Real Estate's new podcast.

The goal of the podcast is to help you get to a place where you know what to expect during the homebuying process, and to help you make sure you're ready to make informed decisions about what will likely be the biggest purchase of your life.



Episode #101       How Much Can I Afford?

Episode Date: September 6, 2023

There's nothing more important when buying a home than money.

This episode focuses on helping you figure out how much home you can afford, and how to be comfortable with what you're going to spend for your first home. Our guest is Mike Shenkman, who has more than 20 years of experience in California's real estate industry. He's also a lecturer in the Urban Studies and Planning Department at UC San Diego.

Topics covered in this episode include:

  • Definition of a first-time homebuyer and why you can be a first-time homebuyer more than once
  • What your mindset should be as a first-time homebuyer
  • The two types of homes you can buy
  • Must Haves vs. Nice to Haves
  • How much down payment should you put on your new home
  • Rules for getting gifts of money towards your down payment
  • Top 10 other costs of buying a home
  • How lenders determine how much money they will loan you



EPISODE #102       HOW MORTGAGES WORK

Episode Date: September 20, 2023

In this episode, we take a deep dive into home mortgages. This includes conventional, FHA and VA mortgages, as well as fixed-rate, adjustable-rate, and interest-only. We also discuss the difference between interest rate and annual percentage rate, pre-qualified and pre-approved, what's an amortization school, what's an impound account, how a mortgage buy-down works, and what happens if your new home is appraised for less than the price you're paying. Plus, an overview of first-time homebuyer programs.

Back to Top