Home Buying...yikes.

So I'm finding myself stuck in a whirlwind of what some (myself included) consider the perfect storm for buying a new home. With mortgage prices falling at a rapid pace and fixed APR's nearing lowest levels on record, I can't help but daydream about owning my own home. Oh yeah, throw in the $8,000 credit that the Obama administration's stimulus plan is offering for first-time home buyers.

Honestly, a year ago, I would have never thought I was ready to purchase anything of this magnitude. I was scraping by, a year into my first job, hoping I was doing well enough to stick around and make my next rent check.

Now I find myself searching Trulia every day hoping that "perfect" house jumps up and bites me in the ass. I'm not under some illusion that the financial burden of a purchased home won't be difficult. I know that even though I'll only be paying a couple hundred bucks more than I am now, things are bound to go wrong. Yes there'll be updates that need to be made. Yes there will always be a project to be done, or something to be replaced. But I know I'll be kicking myself if I don't take advantage of this while I can.

I'm 25, in a great relationship, and still have a job. I'm really feeling that it's time to make that first big step into adulthood and "become a man." Though right now I feel more like a little kid trying to grow up as fast as possible. Ahh, the irony.