Before deciding which house to buy, think about your lifestyle, your current and anticipated housing needs, and your budget.  Finding the right house involves striking a balance between your wish list and the reality of the housing market.

Your Wish List

When creating your wish list, take a look at your lifestyle.  For example, if you love to cook, you'll want a well-equipped kitchen.  If you love to garden, you'll want a yard.  If you want to work at home, you may want a room for a separate library or home office.  If you have several cars, you may require a garage or parking spaces.

Write down on paper all the things you and your co-purchaser, if there is one, would love to have in your home.  You can let your imagination take over, but realize that you will have to cut the list back later.

As you think about your housing needs, it's important to consider how long you may live in your home.  If you are newly married, you might not be concerned with a school district right now.  But you could be in several years.  Will you move then — or is the house you are looking for now is in a neighborhood where good schools are available?  If you have aging parents, might they need to live with you in the near future?  If so, you may want to look at homes that offer living arrangements for them as well as you.  So, when preparing your wish list, factor in both your current housing needs and what you may anticipate a few years from now.

The net cost of purchasing a home includes the actual purchase price, of course, but also, long term, includes the cost of financing the acquistion. The cost of the financing portion of the purchase is variable and dependent on market conditions, which are out of the control of the individual, but a good portion of the cost of financing is driven straight off of your credit score and that variable is controllable by you, the individual.

 
It is very important to get your credit score over 720. If your is not that high, I highly suggest you connect with a VERY good lender, who can walk you through the steps you will need to take to accomplish a good score like this. My score is a little over 800 and maintaining that level is always in my game plan. If you need a good lender, just let us know!