I am 52 yrs old and have rented the house i live in for 21 years. During the course of that time I raised 3 children alone and put myself through nursing school. I have been a nurse for 15 yrs and do not even no where or how to begin to see if I can finally own my own home. any help would be great.

First of all stay local with your shopping! The internet is a great tool but what you'll find is a littany of callers with the "lowest rate" blah blah blah. Contact three people, discuss with them what you want to do, then decide who you feel most comfortable. Get pre approved first, see if they have a Realtor to recommend then, do the same thing: Interview people for the opportunity to assist you with this huge endeavor choose the person you feel most comfortable and remember, when you are looking to buy or get a mortgage, everyone is your friend but not everyone is an expert!

I have the perfect program for you called Homes for Heroes that rewards hardworking health care professionals such as yourself. Feel free to check out the website www.homesforheroes.com and call me or email me at any time so I can discuss the entire benefits of buying a home through this program. I answer to your question you want to get pre-qualified by a bank or lender- not a broker. Then they can tell you if you are ready to purchase or if you need some alteration to your credentials and how to do it.

The first thing you want to do, is speak to a loan professional who can go over your finances and your credit. Then you can determine what type of loan works best for you and what you can afford. Once you have a valid Lenders Approval in hand, you then can go shopping for your first new home. Once you find a home you are interested in, submit an offer, along with a copy of the lender approval and you will be moving in no time. It is a fairly simple process as your Loan Officer will handle the loan and the Real Estate Agent will handle the purchase. When you find a real estate agent, it is the Seller who pays their commission. Only out of pocket expenses you will have is the down payment and closing costs, which is lender fees, title, escrow and a appraisal. Please contact me if you would like more information or a free consultation. Chris Gummerson Bay Valley Mortgage 714-367-5125 bayvalleymortgage.com

Agreed - a mortgage pre-approval puts things in perspective. Don't go looking for the maximum you can afford - think of how much you would be comfortable paying per month and get a pre-approval based around that payment amount. I can send you a government booklet about the closing process and expense if you wish. Congratulations on having accomplished so much !TomThomas.Stevens@Flagstar.com

First congratulations on your accomplishments so far. It will take you three steps to accomplish home ownership.1. Complete an application - This stage is where your loan officer will consult you with loan options. The easiest way to assist your loan officer with this part of the process is to have a payment in mind that fits your budget. At this point the loan officer will be able to tell if you are eligible by pulling your credit and reviewing your application.2. Pre-Approval - You will need to submit your income and asset docs to your loan officer so they can look them over to ensure everything is in line with your application. This is a very important step because you do not want any surprises after you sign a sales contract.3. Realtor - Since you are a first time home buyer a Realtor is very important. Most loan officers can refer you to someone they have worked with before. The Realtor will help you find a home that fits the parameters of your pre-approval and will assit in the execution of the sales contract. The process can seem overwhelming and that is where your loan officer and Realtor will shine by holding your hand through the process. If you have any more questions please contact me at james.sharp@supremelending.com.