[etm117]

Note, not a hack, just a friendly piece of advice... Unless you plan to live in the same place for at least 5 years, do not buy, keep renting/leasing. A few years ago, you could buy and sell multiple times and each time not lose money because of rising property values. That time is gone, it may come back, but it may not. In a more normal market, closing costs and Realtor fees take up most appreciation of a place and it may take 5+ years of paying your mortgage (and thus reducing your principle) to sell the place without taking a loss when you include those fees at selling time. This is important if you are still young and have that itch to move around and find a place to call "home".

Yes there are a ton of other reasons why to buy a house and how to do it minimizing costs (which I am sure others will chime in with), but that one above is my favorite reason NOT to buy a house that I think everyone should think about.