I soon learned the differences between a condo and a co-op property, and the different regulations that came with both. I then connected with a real estate agent who came highly recommended by a friend to see exactly what steps I would need to take to pursue this. She started by connecting me with a loan officer to find out just how much I could afford. And while I had good credit, about $4,500 in savings and some money in stocks and retirement, I was still unsure of my ability to afford anything in New York. After receiving a pre-approval letter for a figure that I felt was out of my reach, I told my agent that despite what the letter said (and although I had saved more since the process began), I just couldn’t fathom spending more than $1500 in monthly payments. And that meant my options were limited.