Buying a House Part 1: Figure Out Your Budget

A few months ago I found myself very suddenly in the market for real estate. Having recently come out the other side, decompressing after buying a house, I find myself with an abundance of information for anyone interested in the process. In fact, it's is not nearly as frightening as you might think, so I hope I can demystify the process for you. I'm going to lay out the process in 8 steps:

1. Figure out your budget
2. Figure out what you want in a house
3. Find an agent
4. Check out houses
5. Choosing a house (earnest money/early negotiation)
6. The inspection period
7. Negotiation and paperwork
8. Closing

This first post will be entirely dedicated to that first step.