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At 65.4 percent, we may be closing in on a "natural rate" of homeownership for the economy and society.

I recently was accepted to grad school, and my wife and I will be moving from Michigan to New Mexico. We are having a debate as to whether we should buy a home. After I finish my degree, I would like the freedom to leave New Mexico, if necessary, without having to worry about selling a home. My wife doesn't like the idea of paying rent and getting nothing back from it. Any and all advice would be much appreciated.

My wife and I are having a disagreement and I hope you can help settle it. We're looking at houses below $100,000. After having looked at our options, I want to wait a year and build up our savings so we can put enough money down without completely wiping out our savings. My wife is concerned that, due to a recovering housing market, it will be more expensive in the long run if we wait, and that will be worth the short-term risk. Should we wait or go for it now? Andrew, Milwaukee, WI

My boyfriend and I both currently work full-time and are in school. He's working toward an associate degree and I'm working on a master's. When we both finish, in the spring of 2014, we'll be qualified for much better-paying jobs. We're also planning on getting married between now and then and starting a family once one or both of us has found new employment. We weren't planning to buy a home any time soon, but I recently inherited $40,000. My question is, how do you know that you're ready to take the plunge? Leah, Ypsilanti, MI

Three years ago -- fresh out of grad school, with new jobs and lots of optimism -- my husband and I bought a beautiful house that we love. Trouble is, we spent too much money. Now, our mortgage consumes nearly all of our monthly income, leaving us very little to save for retirement, our kids' college funds or do the things we love such as traveling. The question, then, is: Should we cut our losses, try to sell and buy something cheaper? Julia, St. Paul, MN

It is one step forward, one step back for the housing market. The mortgage bankers association says this morning applications for home mortgages were up 3.3 percent last week but demand for refinancing dropped for the sixth straight week.

Middle-aged homeowners should think about adding features that make it easy to age in place with any home remodeling project.

Neighborhoods in Atlanta have been devastated as home prices have fallen. How are residents coping with moving from high on the hog to the other side of the tracks?

My husband and I are both church pastors. We have been married for a year and half and we both work full time. Our gross income is about $84,000 and we tithe 10 percent to our churches and charities, which we will continue to do. We are trying to decide whether or not to purchase a home, and whether we are saving money in the proper places.... Is this a good time to buy a home? What if we needed to sell it in four years? Should we be putting less money into savings and more into the Roth IRA's? Thank you for your help! Emma, Beverly Hills, MI