Thinking about buying a home? It's a big decision!

So you're thinking about buying a home. Great idea and a great time to start looking for a home. Someone at work or a good friend just bought one and they started you thinking about making an investment in a home but the thought is overwhelming right now. Been there, done that! When my husband and I went to purchase our first home, in a small beautiful town in Iowa, in 1971, he stood in the basement of the home we wanted and we started to figure how we could pay for it. He said this is what I will take home and this is the car payment amount and how will we be able to do this. (The payment was going to be $193 a month!!) I told him I would get a job and we didn't have any kids so we would be fine. We bought our first house for $27,500 and then added an additional 10 feet of land for another $2500 and the man who sold the 10 feet to us financed the $2500 with no interest. (You have to remember it was 1973 and some people just were kind and wanted to see two green kids start their lives with some help!) It was a good home and we lived there for 13 years. Sold it for $50,000 in a depressed market after renting it for 3 years. So much for the good old days--

Now you need to know why you should think about buying a house and how to go about it. First of all--a house is a great investment. Now is the time to talk about investments. If you invest in a roof over your head it protects you and your family from the outside elements. No one can tell you what color to paint it or what nails you can put in the walls. If you make your payments and pay your taxes no one will take it away from you for the most part. This year has been both good and bad in the real estate market. People who have sold have been able to move on and those who have made purchases have gotten low rates and great buys. And of course are living happily ever after...