1) Spend less than you make 2) make a budget and figure out how much you want to spend on housing, figure out from the monthly payment you can afford what your

1) Spend less than you make 2) make a budget and figure out how much you want to spend on housing, figure out from the monthly payment you can afford what your price cap is. 3) Save enough for 20% down on a reasonable house under that cap in your area (or in an area you could move to) 4) find a house that is under valued but for reasons that sweat equity can make better (but not things like foundation or roof that you need to pay a pro tens of thousands to fix) 5) get pre qualified for a loan 6) be patient about number 4. Spending a year or two looking for a good value could be worth hundreds of thousands