The most important thing you can do when thinking of buying a home is to determine how much house you can purchase. Therefore, it's essential that you contact a Lender and have yourself pre qualified. The Lender will pull up your "FICA" Scores, usually from three different sources. The higher your FICA score is the stronger you look to the Lender and usually less problem in qualifying you'll have. The Loan Officer will need certain information from. Your job situation, what kind of a down payment do you have. What do you have in the way of monthly bill;s; such as car payments, credit cards, student loan, etc. The Loan officer will want to know what type of loan is best suited for you such as a fixed rate loan (usually amortized over 30 year), adjustable rate, 100% financing, etc. There are many loans in the market place for you to choose from. What you can qualify for will depend on your income, loan payment, property taxes and insurance. (plus homeowners dues if it is a townhouse or condominium).