Hi Ralph,
It is always best like they said to work with a lender first to prequalify you for a loan. Once you find out how much you qualify for, you will have an idea on how much house you can afford. This will also help your realtor to find houses that will fit into your price range on top of other considerations that you want.
I assume that you will do a VA Loan? VA loan is a great loan program for servicemen because of features that are not available with conventional loans.
Please visit our website to see faqs on VA Loans and homebuying.
Let me know if I can be of any help. - Fri Oct 17 2008, 17:13