monthly pain to come. And buying in an up-and-coming area, instead of an established and trendier locale, will get you more house for less money. To uncover potentially undervalued communities, visit www.localmarketmonitor.com.
5. Don’t buy too much house. After living in a spartan starter home, the temptation is to splurge. To find out how much home you can legitimately carry, check out the mortgage calculator at sites like www.bankrate.com. The Moores, for instance, not only stuck religiously to a budget, but even factored in potential future costs: “Now, even if real estate taxes and insurance go way up, we’ll still be able to afford our new house