The famous bank robber, Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks answered simply, "That's where the money is."  First time home buyers in Sonoma County and elsewhere need to start the process with the same simple approach. If the questions is "Where should you be looking for a house.", the answer has to be "Where you can afford it."

The first time home buyer faces daunting task

• Wading thorugh vast amounts of unfamiliar paperwork in the purchase process
• Understanding the arcane jargon everybody in the business tosses around casually
• Answering detailed and personal financial questions
• Scraping together a down payment 

That's without even talking about locating and inspecting what will be your most valuable asset...and most expensive handcuffs.

I like using map based search tools on my sites since locations to schools, parks, roads, and other amenities are much clearer with maps. There's still something to be said for other ways of presenting information. I produced this recent chart of average Sonoma County REO prices by city as a guide for first time buyers thinking about purchasing an REO property in Santa Rosa, Windsor, Rohnert Park or any of the other cities where REO properties represent good values.

This is very useful for helping buyers of foreclosed homes in Sonoma County understand the cities where they are likely to be able to afford a home. When you are ready to start looking at some active listings that reflect this type of value, my REO.Sonoma.net site is always updated with real time REO listings and lists of Sonoma County foreclosed homes by city.