Emotions, family and personal reasons all come into play in any home-buying decision.

No one knows what the future holds for you, your family, your job or your finances. But we can help you understand what you're going to encounter when you embark on the sometimes difficult journey toward the dream of owning a home.

When you get that urge to buy a house, the first thing to do is step back and ask whether it makes more sense to keep renting for a while. If you still want to buy, you need to figure out how much house you can afford.

Sunny side of homeownership

Owners enjoy many benefits. They build equity over time as home values rise and their mortgage balances shrink. They also don't have to worry about their housing costs shooting through the roof because lenders can't boost borrowers rates and payments, unless those borrowers have adjustable-rate mortgages.

Cloudy side of homeownership

When something breaks at an apartment, it's the landlord's problem. When it's your name on the deed, the problem is yours. If you throw every penny into a down payment, you're taking a big risk because you may not have enough money left to fix leaky pipes or buy a new air conditioner.

Potential buyers might want to hold off for other reasons. If there's a good chance that you will be laid off soon, you might want to wait. The same goes for people who plan to leave a job soon. The monthly payment isn't the only obstacle for this kind of customer. Closing costs and other home-buying fees, as well as the commission that most owners end up paying to real estate agents when they sell their homes, add up. People who have to sell after living in one place for only a short time can end up in the hole on their investments.