Know Your Cash Before You Make an Offer
A practical cash-planning guide for Murfreesboro and Smyrna homebuyers
Gretchen Moore, REALTOR® | Elam Real Estate | October 12, 2026
Start with the whole move
You have a down payment in mind. Before you write an offer, give the rest of your cash a job, too. Some payments may come due while you are under contract, another amount will be due at closing, and you will still want money available after the keys are yours.
For buyers looking around Murfreesboro, ZIP 37129 and Smyrna, the useful question is simple: can this purchase fit the cash you have available while leaving the cushion you want to keep? Use three parts to organize the conversation. The property, contract and financing determine your actual numbers.
1. List what may be due before closing
Ask your agent, lender and service providers which payments may be due early. Your list might include earnest money, inspections and an appraisal fee. Record the amount, due date, who receives it and whether it will be reflected in the final closing calculation. Timing varies; do not assume every bill can wait until closing day.
Earnest money is a good-faith deposit under a purchase contract. It may be applied toward the down payment or closing costs when the sale closes. Ask how the contract addresses the deposit if the purchase does not close. A deposit and an inspection bill serve different purposes, so track them separately.
Keep receipts and share payment updates with your lender and closing professional. The goal is to show what has already been paid and what still needs to be paid.
2. Use the lender’s cash to close estimate
On a Loan Estimate, Estimated Cash to Close combines the down payment and closing costs with deposits, seller credits and other adjustments. It is the estimate of what you will need to bring to closing. Adding the down payment to that figure again can count the same money twice.
Ask the lender to walk through the calculation for your specific purchase. Which deposit is included? Which early fees are treated as paid before closing? Are proposed credits actually agreed to and usable for your loan? Request a refreshed estimate when the assumptions change.
3. Decide what you want to keep after moving
Write a separate move-in list: the move itself, utility setup, essential repairs and purchases you truly need right away. Add the cash cushion you want to retain for unexpected expenses and other priorities. These amounts may sit outside the lender’s Cash to Close figure.
The CFPB’s down-payment guidance recommends accounting for moving, renovations, other savings goals and an emergency cushion before deciding what is available for closing. Choose amounts that fit your own circumstances. There is no single dollar amount in this worksheet that makes a purchase right for everyone.
Put the remaining cash needs on one page
Start with funds available today, after anything you have already paid. List early payments still due, the amount still due at closing, move-in costs and your chosen cushion. Before adding those figures, have the lender reconcile the early deposits and fees with the closing estimate. Otherwise, an early payment can accidentally appear in both places.
Use a simple cash-plan worksheet to label each number as confirmed, estimated or still unknown. If a gap remains, identify what would need to change before you commit. A smaller purchase budget, different timing or a revised plan may be worth discussing. Keep a separate monthly housing budget; this worksheet only addresses cash around the purchase and move.
Check again before closing
When the Closing Disclosure arrives, compare its Cash to Close and closing costs with your most recent Loan Estimate. Ask the lender or closing professional to explain differences and confirm that payments and agreed credits are accounted for. Your closing documents provide the final figures; this planning page does not replace them.
Bring your questions to the next conversation
A useful buyer consultation starts with what you know and what you still need to confirm. Bring your home priorities, timing and questions about the buying process. Keep account numbers and sensitive financial documents with your lender’s secure process.
Ready to make a clearer plan for your Murfreesboro or Smyrna home search? Schedule a buyer consultation with Gretchen.
Source pages checked October 12, 2026. CFPB page update dates: Loan Estimate, October 29, 2025; down-payment guidance, October 1, 2025; Closing Disclosure, October 10, 2023.
Gretchen Moore, REALTOR® | Elam Real Estate | Call/Text: 931-773-8561 | Office: 615-890-1222
General education, not individualized financial, legal or tax advice. Actual costs, timing, credits and financing vary. Confirm details with your lender, closing professional and other qualified advisers. No financing or purchase outcome is guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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