1/2 Price House

Throughout the wedding planning process, I have always counted one blessing consistently. We (or at this point I) already have a house with a very low mortgage payment. This helps to ease my financial worries whenever I am stressed out. And, as the title eludes to, I bought my house for 1/2 price. How did I do that, you might wonder? I bought my house through the federal Good Neighbor Program (http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/reo/goodn/gnndabot.cfm). Through the Good Neighbor Program, public servants (teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and EMTs) can purchase a home in a revitalizing neighborhood for 1/2 price. It must be your only home, and you must live in it for three years. When I got my home, there were no closing costs, and I was able to roll a construction loan (for renovations) and realtor's fees into my main loan; the program has changed a bit, but the costs are still minimal. The best part, at the end of the three years, you can sell your home for the fuill cost and keep the difference. And, sometimes you get lucky. My "revitalizing neighborhood" ended up being a Denver hotspot (the Baker neighborhood for any Denverites) and my property values have already gone up 30%. Happy house hunting!