"Hello, this is Kristen Hart. May I help you?"

"Congratulations! We have a contract," said the seller's agent. "Great! I know my buyer will be excited. May I put you on hold for a moment?, " I said calmly on my crackberry. I put the phone down. Did a quick crazy chicken dance and then picked the phone back up and said, "Thanks for holding. I look forward to working with you."

So now the real dance of becoming a home owner begins...

For the past 2 days, I have been negotiating a deal for my first time home buyer, Xena. (No, that's not her real name but she's a warrior princess just the same!) Xena has made an offer to buy a charming key-west style bungalow in downtown Orlando.

Over the past 30 days, Xena and I have been looking for the right home at the right price for her. She is a young professional that is looking to make a great investment in home ownership. For a few dollars more than what she was paying in rent, she is joining the ranks of smart investors buying in this market.

Once a week, I started up the Caddy and we looked at properties. With over 45 active listings that matched her criteria in a one mile radius, we looked alot. We looked at fixer uppers and the fixed upped. Some homes were fabulous and some wished they were. Some we left wondering, "What the heck were these people thinking installing a toilet out in the garage?"

On Sunday, Xena called me that she had found a house she liked and wanted to see inside. I arranged the showing and 24 hours later, it had a contract on it!

Counter. Counter. Counter. Deal! Now what?
Next up are the inspections. Stay tuned.