Cash Needed to Buy Calculator
Buying a home takes more cash than the down payment alone. This tool separates what you may pay before closing, at closing and in the weeks after you move in.
The purchase
$40,000 of the purchase price
Before closing
Money you typically spend during the transaction, well before the closing table.
After closing
The costs first-time buyers most often forget to plan for.
What you have
Estimated total cash needed
$62,100
Of that, about $48,000 is needed to get through closing. The rest lands before or after.
About $2,100 more than your current savings
That is the gap between this estimate and the savings you entered. Lowering the reserve you keep is not the only lever — down payment assistance programs, a different price range and seller credits all change this number.
Before closing
Earnest money deposit
$4,000
Home inspection
$500
Appraisal
$600
Before closing total
$5,100
At closing
Down payment
$40,000
Closing costs & prepaids
$12,000
Earnest money already paid
Counted before closing, so it is credited here instead of counted twice.
-$4,000
At closing total
$48,000
After closing
Moving expenses
$1,500
Immediate repairs
$1,500
Furnishings & appliances
$1,000
Emergency reserve
$5,000
Other costs
$0
After closing total
$9,000
Summary
- Before closing
- $5,100
- At closing
- $48,000
- After closing
- $9,000
- Total cash needed
- $62,100
- Down payment portion
- $40,000
- Earnest money credited
- $4,000
Want to understand this number?
How this calculator works
The estimate is grouped by when money actually leaves your account. Before closing covers earnest money, inspection and often the appraisal. At closing covers the down payment plus closing costs, minus credits and minus any earnest money already paid. After closing covers moving, repairs, furnishings and the reserve you keep.
Earnest money is the piece people double-count. Here it is counted once: paid in the first phase, then deducted from the closing figure when it is credited.
What it can't tell you
- Cash to close on your Closing Disclosure is the authoritative number — this is a planning estimate.
- Some loan programs require documented reserves, and gift funds have documentation rules this tool doesn't model.
- Down payment assistance, grants and employer programs can substantially change what you need up front.
- Repair and furnishing estimates are guesses until you have an inspection report and a real home in mind.