I OFTEN HEAR PEOPLE SAY, “We will probably never buy a home” or some variation on this theme. It is really frustrating to me when I hear these words, because the implied statement is, “We would really love to buy a home but it is just hopeless.”

The hopelessness usually comes from one of three sources.

1. Would-be buyers believe there no way on God’s green Earth they will ever be able to save enough money.

2. Would-be buyers believe their credit is so horrible they could never, ever, possibly be able to qualify for a mortgage.

3. Would-be buyers believe they can’t afford the monthly payment for a home.

When I hear these things, I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I want to say it is not hopeless, there is always a way if you just quit being hopeless and start doing something that will eventually lead to the resolution of whatever problem is preventing you from buying a home today.

Notice that I said “eventually.” In my years of working with home buyers, I have encountered numerous borrowers who have made a plan, stuck to it and achieved the dream of owning their own home. Yes, in many cases this process took years — but eventually they succeeded.

Saving the money for a down payment is one of the biggest obstacles for many first-time home buyers. Even a seemingly modest minimum down payment of $12,000 or $14,000 seems insurmountable to some folks struggling to raise a family. Many families are living paycheck to paycheck, so the possibility of saving this amount of money seems absurd.

Let’s break it down. If you saved $3,000 per year for four years, you would have the $12,000. So how do you save even $3,000 when you’re living paycheck to paycheck? If you break it down a bit further you find that you need to save $250 each month to save $3,000 in a year; now break that down into 30 days and it is less than $8.50 each day. What are you spending each day where you could save $8.50? Starbucks? Lunches out? How often do you eat out a week? You may have to tighten the belt a bit, but you can find $8.50 a day. Anyone can.

But you say your credit was destroyed in the Great Recession and you will never have decent credit again. To which I reply, Never? I have helped countless borrowers over the years to rebuild and recover from credit disasters.

Did you know that if you had a foreclosure three years ago you might be able to qualify for FHA financing today, right now? That’s just two years if you are a veteran. Certainly you will have needed to take certain steps along the way after the credit disaster in order to recover and demonstrate to the lender that you are now a good risk — but these steps are not that difficult. You just need to have a plan and stick with it.

The best one of all is, “I will never be able to afford the payment on a house.” To which I want to reply, When was the last time your landlord raised your rent — and do you think he will ever raise it again?

The fact is, one of the major consequences of the Great Recession is that millions of people who were homeowners became renters. Landlords are cashing in and rents are increasing, and they are not likely to come down anytime soon.

The reality of affordability is that you have to stay within your means, and if that means you can’t buy that mansion on the hill, perhaps you just need to start out a little smaller — and perhaps someday you may be able to buy that mansion on the hill.

It is not impossible or hopeless unless you think it is and don’t do anything about it. Doing something simply means creating a plan. The very best part of what I do for a living is helping people create their plans and seeing them come to fruition when they get the keys to their new home.

Any real estate professional worth their weight in salt will tell you the same thing — this is why most of us do what we do.

If you feel like buying a home is some far-off, never-to-be-obtained dream, I urge you to contact a professional and make a plan. You will be glad you did, and you will make someone else’s day in the process.

Guy Benjamin (CAL BRE License #01014834, NMLS 887909) writes a weekly column for The Herald, offering general information on real estate matters. As it is impossible to address all possibilities and variations, he will try to answer individual questions by readers who contact him at 707-246-0949 or guyb@fairwaymc.com.height=”150″ />