When should you buy your first home?

Buying your own home usually makes sense from a financial point of view, as you will be paying down your loan instead of paying rent to someone else.

People often start thinking about buying a home once they start getting regular income. That’s when you should start saving up for your first home.

Start by figuring out what kind of home you would like and calculate how much loan you need and can possibly get. You should submit a home loan application as soon as you start considering buying a home. When you send us an application, we will contact you and help you figure out your options.

If you feel that you can’t realise all your dreams at once, you should consider settling for less by focusing on finding a home that meets your current needs. 

A first home is rarely one you will be spending the rest of your life in. In fact, Finns change homes every seven years or so on average. In other words, your first home is often a first step on the property ladder.

Read more about the benefits of buying and renting a home

First-time buyers are in a good spot on the housing market

First-time home buyers can now find a home for cheaper than in years. Home prices have fallen due to the rise in interest rates that took place from 2022 to 2024. 

Even though home prices have gradually begun rising again, the market is still favourable for first-time home buyers. 

How big a loan can you get as a first-time home buyer?

The amount of the home loan you can get is determined by your monthly income and expenses, savings and other assets that you can put up as collateral. You can’t get a home loan to cover the entire price of a home, as you need some of your own savings as well.

As a first-time home buyer, you must have savings (in other words, a self-financing share) equivalent to 5% of the price of the home, or a corresponding amount of other collateral. 

If you are taking out an ASP loan, your self-financing share must be at least 10%.  

Read more about the self-financing share of home loans

Calculate how much home loan you could get

Apply for a home loan online

  1. Use our calculator to find out how big a home loan you can get and fill in the application.
  2. Fill in the application. It doesn’t cost you anything to apply for a home loan, and you have no obligation to take out a loan from us. 
  3. Send the application. Once we have received it, we will contact you with an invitation to a loan negotiation.

Read about loan negotiations

We will carefully assess whether you can afford to repay your loan

When discussing your loan, we will check with you that you have enough money every month to cover your living expenses and your loan repayments. Usually we recommend that living expenses amount to no more than 40% of your net income (income after tax). 

We also calculate how your total loan costs would change if the loan interest rises to 6%. This is called a loan stress test. 

FlexiPayment allows you to postpone your loan payments 

Our home loan is the only one on the market that comes with a feature that allows you to postpone loan payments independently. This means that, if your finances are tight, you can decide if you only want to pay interest and expenses for the current month. This FlexiPayment feature usually covers about 10% of the loan amount. 

Read more about FlexiPayment

First-time home buyer’s benefits

Special benefits for first-time home buyers:

  • You need less savings to buy a home, i.e. a smaller self-financing share, than other home buyers.
  • You get a free state guarantee for an ASP loan, covering up to 90% of the home’s purchase price.
  • You get all the benefits of the ASP scheme.

Read more about ASP loans

Home loan basics – learn the vocabulary

If you’re planning to buy your first home, you might come across various issues and concepts that you’d like to know more about.

Learn the vocabulary of home loans

Frequently asked questions buying your first home