Chapter One
Preparing For Homeownership
Overview
All over America, many people with disabilities are currently living in, or are in various stages of buying, their own homes. The first step to begin the process is to decide whether they truly want to own a place of their own. This chapter may help you to make that decision for yourself. It will present both the positive aspects and some of the difficulties associated with owning a home. It will introduce you to what owning a home means in practical terms, and explain the meaning of terms such as: mortgage, budget, credit record, and pre-qualification. The roles of people who may help you buy a home will be described, along with ways to increase your buying power. Most importantly, this chapter will spell out what things you will need to consider as you try to determine whether purchasing a home is something you want to do.
As part of the process, you may want to locate and ask for assistance from individuals who have been trained to help reduce some of the confusion and uncertainty of the home-buying process. Depending on where you live, these individuals could be affiliated with a homeownership counseling agency, lender, real estate agent, or coalition of agencies. Chapter Two offers a more in-depth description of the process of choosing individuals to help you buy a home.