Find your comfortable number.

Ask a lender for a written Loan Estimate for the price you are actually offering on, and for the cash to close figure on it.

Ask which of your funds the lender will count toward that, and what documents it needs to see them.

Ask what the lender still has to review before the approval is firm, and by what date.

Programs set their own income, property, counseling and timing rules, and their rounds open and close. Nothing on this page decides whether you qualify or what you would get.

Ask the program itself and your lender whether you are eligible and what the current round requires.

Get the current tax bill for the specific address from the town's official tax records, rather than using an average.

Ask whether the figure you are shown includes an exemption the current owner holds that would not carry over to you.

Check New York State's STAR registration instructions and eligibility rules.

Confirm the district and the assigned school for the exact address, in writing, with the district registrar. A listing, a map or an agent is not the authority on attendance.

Ask the registrar what proof of residency enrollment requires and when it has to be filed.

Plan the trip for your real workdays and real departure times using the official MTA tools, rather than any typical time.

Check parking at the station you would use, including whether a permit is residents only and how long the list is.

Walk or drive the last mile at the hour you would really do it.

Ask what handles the waste water: public sewer, a cesspool or a septic system, how old it is and when it was last serviced.

Ask about any oil tank, buried or above ground, in use or abandoned, and what paperwork exists for it.

Ask for permits and certificates of occupancy for additions, decks, finished basements and pools.

Ask about the flood zone, any flood history, and whether flood insurance would be required.

Ask about termites and other wood destroying insects, and about any prior treatment.

Ask your attorney to explain the contract to you before you sign anything.

Ask how your deposit is held, and what happens to it in each way the deal can end.

Ask which contingencies are in your contract, the date on each, and what you have to do to keep them alive.

Get a quote for the specific address from an insurer before you are committed. A premium is not a number this page can give you.

Ask the insurer what is excluded, what each deductible is, including any separate wind or hurricane deductible, and whether flood is covered at all.

Ask for the governing documents: the offering plan or declaration, the bylaws, the house rules, and recent financial statements and minutes.

Ask what the recurring monthly charge covers, and what it does not.

Ask about any assessment in place or under discussion, and what the board approval process would require of you.

Confirm monthly charges, what they cover, assessments, reserves and building finances. For a co-op, ask about board requirements, the minimum down payment and cash reserves after closing. A calculator does not determine whether the building or lender will approve you.

New York Attorney General: before you buy a co-op or condo · CFPB: fees beyond the mortgage payment

Ask for an itemized estimate of lender, attorney and building fees, taxes, escrows, prepaid insurance and any buyer agent compensation you will owe. Condo and co-op costs differ. Add any required reserves separately; they are not necessarily money spent at closing.

For a specific property, use your lender's Loan Estimate and your attorney's review. Check Suffolk transfer taxes.