If you want to buy a house, start by estimating what you can afford and making a budget to buy. Many prospective buyers find it difficult to accumulate enough cash for a down payment, especially if they are saddled with heavy debt . With some discipline and creative strategies, you can probably come up with more cash than you think. Check your current finances and investigate ways to save and raise extra funds.

* Write down your monthly income, savings, and spending.
If you have a lot of high-interest credit debt, try to move your balances to cheaper cards and plan to spend a year paying off as much of that debt as possible.
* Identify your long-term financial goals.
Owning a house may be one, saving enough for retirement may be another.
* Make a home-buying savings plan.
Open a savings account just for this purpose and make regular deposits, even if you put asidejust $20 a week.
* Look for other sources of down payment funds, such as a Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA).
First-time buyers now have access to $10,000 of these funds penalty-free under certain conditions.
* Cut back on non-essential spending.
Your friends and relatives will understand that you can’t spend $20 to go to dinner and the movies if you say you’re saving to buy a house. Your children will understand, too. In fact, saving to buy a house can be a family activity.
* Make saving for a house fun.
Chart your progress on paper and post it somewhere to remind yourself of your goal.