Home ownership is a big dream for many young people, and represents an important milestone in a person’s life. The Millennial generation, born between 1980 and 2000, has faced challenges like wage stagnation, student loans, a recession, and high housing costs in urban areas. These challenges may explain why Millennials have bought fewer homes than Generation X and the Baby Boomers at the same age.

Despite these challenges, many Millennials are now reaching the point in their careers when home ownership may be in reach. They know what they want—a great location and an open floor plan, typically—but many feel overwhelmed by the process, and don’t really know where to start. Here’s what every Millennial needs to know in order to buy the house of their dreams.

An Education in Finance

In the United States, we do not do a good job of preparing our young people to manage their money. Financial literacy is an important skill that around 1 in 5 Americans lack—and Millennials are no exception. Since most schools don’t offer courses in financial literacy, young people have to rely on their families, books, and online resources—which aren’t always the most reliable. Not confident in your financial education? You should seek out reliable information on financial literacy before preparing to buy a house so that you don’t end up making poor decisions.

Investing and Goals are Needed to Buy a Home

Buying a house is the largest purchase most people will make in their entire lives. Once a house is purchased, it is often cheaper than renting, but it’s crucial to take taxes, incidentals, maintenance, and insurance into account when creating saving goals. You should start saving early for a down payment and have an idea of where you would like to live so that you can create accurate savings goals.

Understand Your Credit Score

Millennials don’t have the advantage of many years of credit history, but it is possible to maintain a good credit score, even at a young age. You should not only know your credit score, but also understand it and take measures to improve it, especially if your credit score is below 700. The higher your score, the better rates you’ll get and the more options you’ll have.

Think About Your Dream Home

You may not be able to afford a lavish renovated Victorian, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about what your dream home would look like. Identify the size and location you’ll need. Consider the “must haves” and the “nice to haves”. You’ll want to do this within the context of that housing market so that you can be realistic on what you can afford.

Network to Find an Honest Realtor

In a perfect world, every realtor would have their clients’ best interests at heart and operate with honesty and integrity. While that’s true most of the time, there are dishonest people out there who will take advantage of first-time buyers. To find an honest realtor, you should start with the people you trust: your network. Odds are, someone you know will have worked with someone they can recommend.

Consider the Future When Investing

Odds are good that you’re not going to want to live in the same place forever. When investing, it’s important to think about the future: the changing real estate market, the desirability of where you’re buying a home, and the likelihood that you’ll be able to sell if for a good price should you decide to move.

Anyone Can Take Steps Toward Home Ownership

Achieving a big goal takes time, and home ownership is no exception. Millennials shouldn’t be discouraged during the process—there are always steps you can take to afford real estate. Social equality programs encourage people, and can help anyone who wants to buy a home.

Although differences in wealth may discourage people, it’s important for everyone, and millennials, to think in advance and take small steps to creating their goals. Even if owning a home may seem impossible, believe you can do it! Millennials can seek out the right knowledge and plan properly in order to find and afford the right home.