[Suzy]

Oh, I thought of a few more things:

Start just LOOKING online now at available houses (I know, it's tough just to LOOK), or go to a few open houses and just see what's out there. Then, work together with your husband and make a list of what's important to the two of you to have in a home. For example, we were only looking at homes with 3+ bedrooms, 2+ bathrooms, with a fenced in yard, 2+ car garage, with certain locations in mind. Those were the "musts"-then we also liked ranch-style homes, fireplaces, open plans, and wood floors, and I liked contemporary or 1950-60's construction. Take your list with you when you look online, or when you attend open houses, and find out where to look for homes that meet your criteria, what your price range is to have all of the things you want.

You should consult a realtor to help you in your search. Our realtor was invaluable to us, and has become a great friend to us-we still keep in touch with us. Ask friends and family who they've used, and what they liked/didn't like about that person, and find the right person for you. We too were moving from a rental to our first home, with my DH newly graduated from law school, and we didn't know anything about the process either. Our realtor helped us find the right home for us, and we had fun looking. (It took us FOREVER it seemed!)

Talk to a mortgage lender, and find out how much home you can really afford. The online calculators can be deceiving, since they don't necessarily take other factors into account, like taxes, living expenses, and insurance. A lender can tell you how much you're pre-approved for, and you and your husband can discuss how much you want to put toward a mortgage each month.

Please also keep in mind that a home costs much more than you think-you need to have some money set aside for small emergencies and repairs. Take this into consideration when planning how much you can pay each month in a mortgage.

There are also costs to "set up" your home, and if you're anything like I am, you want it all done before you move in! In the two weeks we owned our home, before we moved in, we had the entire interior painted (the previous owner had terrible taste in paint colors!!!), the carpets cleaned (why move furniture in, and then move it again to have carpets steam cleaned?), a few misc. repairs done (dishwasher gasket, caulking in the bathrooms, etc.), and furniture/appliances delivered (it's much easier to have these things delivered when there's nothing else in the way!) You'll also want to take the time to clean everything yourself-or hire someone to clean for you, depending on how far you're moving.

There will be bills you may not have had when renting-water, trash, gas/electric, internet, phone, cable, association dues, etc. You'll also need to change the locks, pay for movers/rent a moving truck, and you'll have to buy things you didn't need to worry about when renting, like a lawnmower, trimmer, snowblower or shovel, etc.

Ok, sorry that's so long, but being a new homeowner myself, I wanted to share some of the things with you that we encountered.

Happy house hunting!