I think owning your home is soo important and we as blacks should try to do everything possible to own a piece of property instead of renting and paying for someone else's mortgage!! I was raised in an apartment building as a child becuase my parents were content with that and it wasn't until I was 18 that we actually moved into our first home. SO being newly married in my late 20's I know the earlier you start the earlier your house/condo/townhome will be paid off. How does everyone else feel? Is owning a home one of your life goals??

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It's Mrs M to you! 5/5/07!!!!

First off, check your pm babycakes! :)

And yes, I would love to own a home one day. Even if it's just a condo, it would be something of value that is mine!

 After years of renting, my mom finally brought her first home about almost 6 years ago in her 40's, so it's never too late or too early to start thinking about that. I'm trying to get my finances in order now, but that is something I definitely will check into.

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Keep hatin'! You're making me famous!

well my parents bought their own first home when I real young so I guess after living in my own home with them for so long seems like second nature for me to later having my own home.

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Keep your enemies close but your friends even closer.

I've bought and paid for 2 homes.   Its sooo nice and differnt when its YOURS!!!!   Plus you get TAX benifits also!!

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where the KOOL people hang out....

http://ebonycity.heavenforum.com/index.htm

It is very important to me. I'm not married but I do I have a fresh newborn son and I'm renting right now. But I am saving and I definitely plan to buy my own home and the very near future. Especially with the housing market and foreclosures like it is now, you can get a steal on some of these properties. Its definitely one of my life goals

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There are two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
-Albert Einstein

Its very important.Buying a home will always be the most important investment you will ever make !

Buying a Home as a new couple is really serious you have a rule out the pro's and cons about what you don't like about a house and you can't decide on the house with only one opinion you have to work through this diligently. Its very important buying a house especially your first house and even if you're not married you still want to make sure the realtors are getting over on you and trying to get commission when they don't deserve it because I know some Realtors who will really try to get slick with you when they see you know nothing about House Buying

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I can do all things through God that Strengthens me

Yes, I would love to own a home once I've married and am financially able to afford one.  Actually, I would prefer to own more than one home and rent them out to tenants to insure further income monthly.  It's definitely an aspiration of mine and I have every intention upon achieving it.

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There are no elevators to success. Every one must take the stairs.

one of my top goals

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~*Honey*~

I don't really see a point in owning a home. I'd mather rather stay in an apartment for the rest of my life. Owning a home requires a serious financial commitment. Property taxes (depending on the state), constant maintenance (roofing, siding, basement, etc), shoveling, gardening, lawn cutting, the list goes on. It is very time consuming and costly. However, I suppose it is essential if you have a family. For someone like me, it would be better to just have an apartment. The landlord/management takes care of all of the room and building maintenance, there is no shoveling or yard work, and in some cases no need to spend money on certain utilities because it is covered in the rent. Such a living fashion is very cost-effective. One has to weigh the pros and the cons and for me, renting an apartment is better than owning a home.

Right now I'm workin' on gettin' a new ride but a house is my next plan. Gotta have me a crib, ya dig.

@ Solitude---- I also believe that if your single, busy, career driven and/or college student person then an apartment is the best choice because keeping up a home is hard work. With an aparment all the work is done for you...but when you settle down, get married, and start a family then you will definitely want to look into getting a home. I have a question for everyone though....do you believe with the new housing crisis that prices and credit standards for purchasing a home will drop?

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There are two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
-Albert Einstein

I'm so glad I got my house WITHOUT those sub-prime loans, interest only, etc stuff that made the housing bubble burst.  Plus, I'm so happy that I didn't do like many younger people with no credit history, etc and get extras that I couldn't afford. My dream of owning a home was so important that I left Cali (after living there for over 30 years).I hope that credit checks for housing get harder and that banks will quit lending to people they know can't pay the loan back and they sold the loan to another company (so they didn't lose much, but the economy and home owner did) .  Yes, I watched Oprah with Suze Orman yesterday.I'm also glad that I got my BA, which made me take a few business courses, so I knew when mortgage rates hit a 40-year low about 2000-2003 that they would eventually go up.    My rate is low and will stay low.

Passions03, I'm never going to get married so an apartment is perfect for me. It relieves me of a lot of stress concerning house maintenance. Someone else takes care of the physical and financial burden, with the end result being the same as if I had done it. Although I may be in the minority, I feel having an apartment provides an easier and pleasurable lifestyle.

Well, I was single when I rented an apartment and when I bought my house.   The apartment was cheap and crappy, so I promised myself when I got a better job I would get out of there and buy a condo or house.  They did the maintenance when it suited them and plus if your neighbor has roaches or a fire, then you'll more than likely get roaches and your apartment would burn down too (I'm not forgetting wildfires, where complete neighborhoods burned down).   So, if I didn't own a home, I would more than likely be in a well-staffed condo (at least you can sell the condo as opposed to renting).It may sound odd, but my mortgage is less than my rent and the house is much bigger than the apartment.  Look in the phone book and you'll see lots of handymen that can do the same things that apartment maintenance men do (but it'll be done when you need it done, not when it suits maintenance and don't forget to do background checks, which you can't always rely on apartments to do).The only disadvantage I can think of for owning a home (not condo) as opposed to renting is the yardwork.It's nice to wash my car in my driveway and to wash my clothes in the early morning or late at nght or play my music loud.  Hopefully, I'll never rent again.