Contact a Howard Hanna office in your area. Here you can select an agent to help you make an informed decision and they can direct you to the in-house lender. The lender will review your situation and then make you aware of your options. They will council you on your credit...for FREE. I have used this service with my company and I love it. I work with first time buyers a lot and sometimes they aren't sure what is expected of them. This way I know they are heading in the right direction. As for the "lump sum of money", the lender will be able to help you around that too. Many options are still out there for little or no money down in our market. - Thu Jun 26 2008, 08:42