Chapter 1. The Benefits and Drawbacks of Home Ownership

When you buy a home, you open a new chapter in your life. It's a time of both excitement and trepidation. You tour potential houses and picture yourself in a new environment. But you also worry about how you'll pay for everything. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the home-buying process.

This chapter gives you a bird's-eye view of the benefits and challenges of buying a home so you know what to expect. In subsequent chapters, you'll work through these challenges in a logical, step-by-step fashion until you get the keys—literally—to your future.