What is the step by step to buying a home?

I used to be a Realtor until about a year ago when I had to move due to my husband being in the army so I can probably give you a little bit of advice. I actually worked with a lot of buyers that got FHA loans. The first step is to definitely have a down payment ready and take a look at your credit reports. Especially now because getting financed is not as easy as it used to be. Make sure if there are any mistakes or issues on your credit report to take care of those things right away. The only thing you are going to have to keep in mind is you will more than likely have to pay whats called private mortgage insurance or PMI. It will make your monthly payment a little bit more. I do know of someone who later just refinanced their loan and was able to get rid of it eventually, so don't let that discourage you to much. After you have your down payment go to a lender and get pre-approved to see how much house you can afford. Then find a well respected Realtor and start searching. Once you have found the right home make your offer. The sellers will more than likely counter offer or not accept your offer. (most counter offer) Once both sides have come to an agreement the whole process begins. In the state I worked for we had to have a termite inspection which I recommend. They are not that expensive and could save a lot of money in the long run. Usually my buyers asked for the sellers to pay for this. All states have different laws by the way, so that maybe something you can talk to your Realtor about. You will also be given the option to have a home inspection. This usually costs a bit, but for some it is worth the peace of mind. The company you go with for your loan will have an appraiser go out and appraise the house, because they will only lend you what the house is worth. Make sure you shop around a bit for homeowners insurance. This is something you will have to have before closing. You will have to pay for a year of it up front. For future reference you can have your taxes and homeowners insurance escrowed into your monthly payment. This usually makes is easier than paying it lump sum sometime during the year. As far as finding out what the seller owes on the home, is probably easier said than done.I personally used to look on our local esors website, put in the address or the last name of the sellers, and could sometimes find out what they bought it for. You can more than likely just go to the court house and look it up as this is usually public knowledge if you can't find it online. The only thing is that amount does not necessarily mean that's what they owe. There are other things that come up sometimes through the process but make sure you get a good, professional Realtor and lender and they can usually get you through these things. Good luck and I hope this was helpful. Sorry so long, but it's a long process.