Home buyers, fire up your search engines - 2004-02-09
Prime home-buying season is approaching. If you intend to join the house-hunting hordes in the spring and early summer, start preparing soon.

Savvy buyers lay the groundwork in advance by educating themselves about the home-buying process and its terminology, checking their credit reports for errors, figuring out how much they can pay for a house, finding mortgage and real estate professionals whom they trust, and narrowing down their choices of neighborhoods.
Read the full story at Bankrate.com

How can I save when I'm almost broke? - 2004-02-09
Dear Money Matters,
By the time all of the bills are paid off for the month, I am fortunate to have $200 left. How can I save and perhaps invest?
Stacy

Dear Stacy,
Housing: If you own a home and have a mortgage that's, say, more than a year old, look into refinancing. Interest rates are at historic lows -- that alone may save substantial money from one month to the next.
Read the full story at Bankrate.com