Owning a home is probably your most important goal, yet the most difficult to achieve and the most difficult buying process to understand. This section presents the major steps involved in buying a house. The more you understand, the easier the process, the less likely you are to make costly mistakes, and the more successful you will be in achieving the goal of homeownership.

Read, understand and follow the steps outlined in the four sections below that will take you through the process of buying a house.

• Finding a house
  This process includes not only searching for a house, but things you should consider, determining how much house you can reasonably afford, choosing an agent, conducting the search, making an offer and negotiating a sale price.
• Obtaining a mortgage
  This section outlines a process you should follow to obtain a mortgage, such as examining your finances, coming up with a downpayment, checking your credit report, prequalifying for a loan, finding the right lender and mortgage, applying for the loan, and locking-in an interest rate.
• Insuring the house
  Prior to closing the deal, and as part of the mortgage process, you will need to obtain homeowner's insurance for the new house. Learn what everything means, and how to make sure your property and belongings are properly protected with the least cost.
• Closing the deal
  You've signed a contract, but there are still lots of things to be done. Understand your responsibilities and what you can do to avoid unnecessary problems and delays.