Starting off right

Eric and Alison made an offer on a house for $8,000 less than the buyer was asking. After a tense 48 hours and several visits from the seller's real estate agent, they've agreed with the seller on a price $6,000 less than he was first asking.

To boost their deposit, they've already sold their second car for $3,000. And they've found a helpful lender which will not only waive its $500 application fee, but will pay $500 towards their legal and valuation fees.

In total, they've reduced the amount they need to borrow by $10,000. Their lender calculates that this means their mortgage will be paid off a year earlier, and Eric and Alison over the course of the loan will pay around $10,000 less in interest.