Dilemna of the day

Mother is coming to town this weekend to help me begin shopping for my first "home", as in the first home that I will own. For weeks now I've been pulling listings, researching neighborhoods, watching prices on certain house, checking tax records, etc. in an effort to learn the market and figure out what I want. But as the time approaches to actually go find something, I'm feeling really conflicted still.

On one hand, I think a condo would be a good "first home". They tend to be less expensive, their a smaller space to be responsible for, they typically have homeowner's associations to take care of things like outside maintenance, and then there's the fact that I think I'll feel somewhat safer with neighbors closer by.

But on the other hand, a condo does sort of feel like an apartment. It'd be nice to buy a house with a little extra room, a yard that I could tinker in, perhaps an extra bedroom or two that I could "grow into" over the next few years. Houses tend to be easier to sell, and they also don't entail a monthly homeowner's fee (though I'm sure that money would get spent on things like lawn care and repairs).

One week I'm completely set on one thing, and then a week later, I am completely set on the other. Last week it was a condo. This week I'm hankering for a house.

Perhaps I need to just go actually see some of the listing and see what "feels right". It's just such a big decision... and then there are all the other decisions -- what neighborhood, how many bedrooms do I need, how much mortgage do I want to take on, fixed rate loan or ARM?

Aaaggh... I know this is supposed to be a fun and exciting "step" in my life, but it's friggin' stressing me out!