Hi SummerChild,
I was single (still am) when I purchased my home in 2003. AND, my home was a rehab. house so I had to find a contractor and make very big decisions on my own. I also did a lot of the work myself (painting, plastering, etc...) It was a lot of hard work but in the end, it is something I look back on everyday I walk into my house and say, "I did this on my own".

I view paying a mortgage the same way as paying rent.... you get what you can afford. There are a lot of extras you have to pay (insurance, taxes, etc...), which is usually combined with your mortgage payments. I made sure I found out what my mortgage payments would be, including the insurance and taxes, before I purchased my house to make sure I could afford the monthly payments. Also, I called to all of the utility companies and found out the average monthly bills for my house... especially the winter bills. I also made sure I was able to save a little money after paying all of my living costs.

Before I signed the closing papers, I was a little nervous. But it was mainly because it was my first home purchase, and I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me because it was a rehab house. I didn't bother me one bit that I was buying my house as a single person, and four years later, I am still maintaining my house on my own.