Owning a home is a big step, but think of it as your step toward wealth creation. Granted housing costs have skyrocketed over the past years and could scare even the strongest of hearts. The good news is the housing market is cooling. Housing inventory is up and the demand has decreased. This could be a perfect time to start considering your move toward home ownership. Sellers are becoming more and more flexible and your ability to purchase a home may be closer than you think. I want to help you put some things in perspective. The reasons that some people give for not purchasing a home are plentiful, but lets address some of the most common perceptions of purchasing a home.

I want to wait until I get married- I understand the whole desire to get married, buy a home with a white picket fence, and have some children playing in the back yard, but let's look at your current situation. Even if your dream mate enters your life there is no set time frame on when that delivery will be. What if you happen to get married later on in life? Just think how much appreciation you could have accumulated over the years.

Okay you're single and marriage is not something you are interested in. So I will approach it from a tax perspective. In fact if you are single this is all the more reason why you want to look into home ownership. Chances are if you are single with no children, you have no tax deductions. Home ownership can be a wonderful tax deduction.

Let's say you are a single parent. Consider homeownership as creating a legacy for your child. You are potentially creating an asset that you can pass to your heirs.

I want the house of my dreams and that home isn't in my price range- Too many people get stuck in the "I want to Buy the House of My Dreams Now." There is nothing etched in stone that states that the first home you buy has to be the last. Buy something reasonable and allow that assets to work for you. Then you may use your first home to upgrade into the next.

Buying a home is too much upkeep- Home ownership doesn't have to mean a single family home. You can purchase a town home or condo. Be sure to do research on the resale value of condos in your neighborhoods.

It's too hard- If that's what you feel then that is what you will make it. Just imagine all of the tasks or jobs you have done for the first time. When you first stated it may have seemed difficult, but now you are able to do that task along with others. Information has never been so easy to obtain. Use the resources that have been placed right in front of you.

I don't know where to begin- I am a strong advocate of meeting with people who have already accomplished the goals you wish to accomplish. Ask them how they did. It possible they can give you good referrals to the professionals they used. Also contact the local non-profit agencies in you town that deal with homeownership. Check Fannie Mae website. Many banks offer home ownership initiative to educate first time homeowners.

I'm too old or I'm too young- Please. You never are too old or young to start acquiring assets. Age wasn't an issue when you were purchasing liabilities so now what's your excuse?

I don't long how long I am going to stay in the area- Well you might stay longer than you anticipated and now you have just wasted time. Also there is no rule book that you have to keep the house you buy forever. You can S-E-L-L it. When you are ready to move you have the option to sell or rent it.

My parents lost their home when I was a child and now I am scared to even attempt-That is not a prediction of your future life. Life events happen. People lose a loved one, get divorced, lose there job, etc. But think about it like this, if you are in need of money and you live in an apartment with no assets you don't have many options. However if you own a home you can sell it and use the proceeds to assist in your situation or if you have ample equity in your home you can take a short term line or credit to assist with you in your situation.

I can't afford it-I think I hear this excuse the most. However you may just need some assistance in thinking outside the box. Think of shopping for your home like you would shop for shoes. Potentially you could pay full price, but don't you feel better when you get them on sale?! The same philosophy can be applied to shopping for your home. Consider ways to buy your home on "sale". Research foreclosure auctions in your neighborhood. Consider relocating to an area where homes are cheaper. You could even reach out to home owners in your desired neighborhood. It's possible that you may find a homeowner that may have flexible terms and can offer you a more reasonable price because they may not have to pay real estate commissions.

All in all home ownership is only as scary as you make it. How much research did you do to find your last apartment? Did you find apartments that were out of your price range, too large, or too small? Did you find other neighborhoods that you liked more than others? All in all you finally found that place where you lay your head and rest your tired toes. Well, looking for a home is no different. I promise we will continue to deal with this issue in further detail. I can spend hours discussing home ownership. Hopefully this has peeked your interested and left you receptive to new possibilities.