It seems so odd to say that, because I’ve actually owned several homes. In fact, I own one right now. The difference is that I owned those homes with my ex-husband. So, this goal I have of buying a house this year is a goal that involves me buying my first home all on my own.

There are a lot of great deals on the market, but I have always wanted to have a home built brand new, according to my dreams and personal tastes. When we were planning our move back to the bay area from Gainesville, we were “this close” to having a house custom built. In the end, we just couldn’t find a lot we liked in the middle of the insane real-estate bubble that was happening here.

Now that it is just me and my daughter, that “perfect” house I have inside my head is a whole lot smaller. It’s also got a cozier floor plan. Without the ex in the picture there is less of a need for a “man retreat”. I’ve been having such a fantastic time looking over the plans that Schumacher Homes has on their website. If I could fall into a great deal on a lot, then the cost of building the actual home is really quite reasonable.

All in all, the more research I do, the more I see that staying within a modest budget does not rule out having a dream home built to your own standards.

My ex lives in the house and is blessed that he can actually afford the payments. We are not caught in the trap of an ARM, thankfully. Our only headache is that we bought the house for such a high price that if we were to sell it for the going rate right now; we would not be able to cover the cost of the remained of our loan and would have to plunge into our savings accounts to pay it off. So, as much as I want that house out of the picture and loathe the idea that I still own a home with my ex, it would be unwise to sell right now.

On the other hand, those who have never owned a home and are also in a good situation to secure one of the very low interest loans are in a VERY good place when it comes to the availability of low priced homes. If I wiggle a few tings around in my personal situation, I am one of those people. I am heartily considering just signing the house over to my ex and moving along. I can pick up one of the townhomes in the community where I lived when I was first married for nearly the price we sold one for back in 2002.

Still, the overall picture is not good for our collective economy. Everything is so interlinked. More sad news about the housing market only serves as a harbinger about the jobless rate to come and issues like budget shortfalls in city and state governments. Schools are closing, businesses are shutting their doors, and the deep discounts offered by many retailers BEFORE Christmas are all sad signs of the state of our economy.

I keep thinking that I need to get my rear end in gear and put out a massive garden in the yard next year. I want to be as self-sufficient as possible.

When I was first married I lived in a townhome community that I LOVED. My mother and my mother-in-law both begged us to not sell it when we moved to Gainesville. They thought we should keep it as an investment property and my mother even considered buying it. In the end, we sold it to have a tidy down payment on the dream home we bought in Gainesville.

What I wouldn’t do not to have that townhome. I’m back in the area now and single and in need of a place just like that.

However, I just noticed that some of the units are coming down in price and are not so much higher than what we sold ours for in 2003. I want one! I want one now, but I have to get that job first.

One Gibsonton, Florida woman reports her cable TV bill has gone up 44% so far.

Why?

Some communities with homeowners associations were able to negotiate discount cable packages for their members. The problem is when home owners start going into foreclosure and stop paying their homeowners association becomes unable to pay the full fixed payment they agreed to pay the cable company.

Some community associations are finding themselves in the red, because the fees they pay monthly to the cable company makes up close to half their monthly association bills. The cable company charges late fees and sometimes increases the bill. The homeowners are feeling the pinch.

Banks are supposed to pay association fees on homes they receive through foreclosure. It turns out that actually getting them to pay can mean a lot of paperwork – which means increased legal fees.

Unfortunately, it was filled with buyers from out of town and those hoping to flip properties for a quick profit. Now that the market is taking a nosedive, the same communities that were selling homes faster than hotcakes are now full of rental properties and homes going into foreclosure.

And because of that, crime is on the rise, as are drug dealing, gang graffiti and poorly maintained properties.

Companies like Lenar are admitting now that they sold as many as five homes to a single investor. Some were lucky enough to resell quickly at a profit, while others are holding homes they can no longer afford, contributing to the downfall of the area.

That is where a title insurance company comes into play. A title company has the means and experience to research the property you are buying to make sure it does not have liens against it or even inheritance issues. Once they determine there is nothing that will challenge your ownership in the future, they issue a policy that covers possible future legal issues and lawsuits attacking your claim.

Title insurance companies are often chosen by your seller’s realtor or perhaps your mortgage company. There are sometimes complicated professional relationships involved. You should be aware, though, that the law says you do not have to go with a title company you do not want to work with and may choose your own. In fact, if anyone tells you that you must go with a particular title company, you can inform them that they are breaking federal laws by telling you.

In the midst of all that, Forbes magazine online and Moody’s Economy.com have named the Tampa Bay area as the number one place in the United States to buy a house.

BUY a house. Not, you see, to sell a house. *sigh*

Forbes says the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region is a prime bounce-back market. They predict a classic V-shaped recovery, where the real estate market will experience a free fall followed by a strong rebound. Forbes looked for areas that had a lot of seller’s desperate to strike a bargain. All in all, a good bit of news for buyers.

Of course, that is of little consolation to me. :

Forbes’ top 10

1. Tampa

2. Minneapolis

3. Miami

4. Kansas City

5. Chicago

6. Phoenix

7. San Diego

8. Milwaukee

9. New York City

10. Atlanta

If you have been involved in even one real estate transaction, you understand the importance of title insurance. When I was talking about having preferred professionals we worked with over and over, our title insurance company was one of those. On the whole, most title companies seem very much the same, but when you look a little deeper you will find that they differ greatly when it comes to reputation and community standing.

Basically, title insurance is your protection against the possibility that someone might come along who feels like they have some sort of legal claim to the property you have purchased, such as an inheritance or a lien. There are cases where someone purchases a property without knowing that another party had a lien on the property and that situation can get terribly messy. Title insurance covers the situation for future loss. You want to make sure the title company you are working with is thorough and reputable. That is why we tended to stick with one company over and over.

As of last month, the median home price in the area fell 14%. Homes sales fell 32%. Both of these are as compared to the same period last year.

Although other areas in the country are seeing a slow up rise in their housing markets, the situation in the Tamp Bay area is not projected to have a rebound until sometime in 2009. Yikes.

This is the worst things have been since 1982.

It’s a bad time to sell, for obvious reasons. And, although some people say now is the time to buy, things are only going to get more dire so the really great deals are actually further down the road.