well aware that a 400,000 home in certain areas can help you live like a king. But its just a nice home where I live. Certainly I can find something less than that. But I've done my time in a mobile home growing up and don't want to be uncle Eddie. I'm preparing as if I'm going to spend 400,000, but hoping I can find something awesome for less than that. There is not much available right now in our area...it is not a buyers market. Everything gets snatched up in 5 days. I'm trying to understand all of the ramifications of the large mortgage before I settle on it. I am tempted to stay a renter. I feel like I would save money renting. The big question is how much to buy and how much to pay down on my student loan. Part of me wants to wait until my student loan is gone...but by then my kids will be gone and life will have passed me by. Its a hard thing to decide. I wished I could get more house for less...but its just going to cost me. But our area is really growing faaast and a home here might be worth a ton more in 20 years than it is now. So we are crossing our fingers like everyone else that we get a good deal and that I keep my job and that it will have been a good economic decision. But trust me if I find a nice house for 200,000...I'm there in a heartbeat.