the DH and i would like to buy a house at the end of our current lease (about may/june 07). the rent is pretty ridiculous for what we have. we've never done anything like this before, in fact, we just broke down and bought our first car...it's all very new to us. but i'd like to have a place to call our own. anyone got any tips for searching...or any information really. i don't even know where to start.

Find out what type of loan you qualify for. How much can you spend, etc. Then contact a realtor in the area. They'll set aside some time for you and show you homes in your price range. There is a program through USAA where they pick the realtor for you and if you use them to buy a home there is a cash back type payment. Happy Hunting.

try realtor.com to get an idea of prices in your area. The actual realtor should guide you through the rest.

so many of our wonderful SOS sisters on here have bought homes & can help you out SO much, I'm sure!:goodvibes :goodvibes

We bought our house from VA and we had an awesome realtor! Her name was Peggy Dunnington and she is with Prudential. Se was not push at all and never showed us anything that we didn't want to see. I can provide you with her information if you would like.

Tricia

By the way, we ended up buying a house in the Deep Creek section of Chesapeake.

Keep in mind that between property taxes, utilities & home owners insurance, you might be forking out more money than you do for an apartment. Also, it might not be a wise idea to buy a house if you aren't going to be here for atleast 5 years. That will give you enough time to build some equity and make you not so upside down on your loan.

Virginia Beach is one of the more expensive places to live in Hampton Roads. When we lived there 3 years ago, we paid what we're paying now (in Newport News) for a smaller place!

Good Luck!

The biggest thing that I can suggest is look at what you can afford. Talk to a loan offecer find out how much you are approved for and then look around for schools and areas that you might like that are in your price range. If you have any qustions about quality of areas feel free to pm me.

We bought in the area and used Long and Foster realty.

I would suggest leave yourself a good size cushion in your budget. When owning a home and first buying one you tend to have alot of unexpected expenses. Also don't be one of those couples who buys a home and then goes out and finances furniture for every room. I have seen people do this and then run into serious trouble.

Take your time when looking at homes make sure you get exactly what you want or you won't be happy.