Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make—right up there with deciding whether to splurge on the fancy guacamole at a restaurant. Unlike guacamole, though, a house comes with a lot more fine print and a much bigger price tag. So before you start mentally arranging furniture in a home you don’t own yet, let’s make sure your finances are actually ready for this adventure.

Closing costs are the fees and expenses you pay to finalize your mortgage. They’re due at (surprise) closing. These are separate from your down payment, and they typically run between 2% to 5% of your home’s purchase price.

You’ve binge-watched enough HGTV to know you want a house. Now the big question: how much house can you actually afford? Because despite what social media makes it seem, buying a home isn’t as simple as “manifesting” it into existence.

Let’s get real: your car doesn’t care about your bank balance before it decides to break down. Your roof? It’s not waiting for payday to spring a leak. That’s where your emergency fund comes in—a financial safety net for when life throws its inevitable curveballs.

So, you want to own a home? Congrats on embracing adulthood—or at least pretending to. But before you start picking out paint swatches and Pinteresting DIY projects, let’s talk about the unglamorous (but essential) part: budgeting.