Includes bibliographical references and index.

Apartment therapy: what's a person like me doing in a real estate market like this? -- The United States of homeownership -- Talk is cheap, housing is expensive -- What kind of investment is a home? -- The S-word: sustainable housing -- Who is the real real estate consumer? -- Confronting your credit history -- Deposits and down payments -- Monthly payments: rent check versus mortgage payment -- How mortgages work -- What does an agent do? -- Researching properties -- Cutting a deal -- Distressed properties: damaged goods -- or good deals? -- Controlling your space -- Nest in peace -- Preserving property value in a dynamic market -- Exiting gracefully -- Life change: the rent/own lifecycle -- The future: where do we go from here?