Knowing that my move to the new place in The Fenway is going to be transitional, I've begun thinking seriously about buying.  I would be a first-time buyer, of course, and in obvious need of whatever financial assistance is available for someone at my income level.  So, since I only have ten months in the new place (the landlady wants the option of either selling or jacking up the rent for new arrivals in September), I figure I should get started researching what's out there as far as first-time buyer assistance programs.

I would actually love to be in a position come September to make an offer on the place I'll be renting (that's my secret plan), but I doubt I will be.  Whatever the case, it can't hurt to educate myself about my options. 



The funny thing about real estate is there's two sides to it, but it seems you rarely hear it from the first-time buyer's.  Real estate is an investment, so bubbles are good for those who've got it.  But for those who don't and want in on it, there are obvious benefits when the bubble bursts.  Real estate went through the roof in the nineties, and that was boffo for owners.  But now it's more of a buyer's market, with sellers competing with foreclosures and short-sales.

It's of questionable relevance to me in this particular instance with this particular property, since its location and features are unique, and, I think at least, uniquely appealing. If the current owner were to list it, I imagine it would draw buyers interested in very specific qualities: location and housing stock being chief among them. 

Personally, I can hardly imagine a better location in all of Boston.  I am across the street from a park (and a cruising park at that) and my community garden; surrounded in all directions by restaurants of every description; about a five-minute walk to a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, and a Shaw's; next door to the New England Conservatory of Music, around the corner from Berklee, and the BSO; down the street from the MFA; and I can see Fenway stadium from my balcony (pictures to come).  So when I say the perfect location, I mean, like: bull's-eye.

But even if it's pretty pie-in-the-sky, I figure it's time to look into how to go about buying something, somewhere.  And Google seemed as good a place as any to start.  It wasn't long before I discovered the City of Boston's Boston Home Center, where they offer certification courses that serve as prerequisites to assistance programs like Cash-to-Close, for which I'm otherwise definitely eligible.

Problem is, actually booking a spot in their Homebuyer 101 course, which is where the process begins, could be difficult.  All of the current courses are full, and when I called to ask about future courses, I was told to keep an eye on the website for a schedule, which should be coming out for January in "the next couple of weeks."

I'll keep you posted.  Meanwhile, any tips from those who've been through this sort of process already?