By TRACEY C. VELT, bankrate.com

When buying a home, mean what you say and say what you mean when filling out the contract.

That's the advice of lawyer Jeff Marks, a partner with Ryan and Marks Attorneys LLP in Jacksonville, Fla. A real estate dispute in the Sunshine State illustrates his point.

'Tis the season to buy a home

While you may think it's crazy to tackle the huge task of home buying during the schedule-jammed holiday season, the holidays are actually a great time to find real estate deals in today's new economy.

Foreclosure. It seems like half the country is in it and the other half is trying to make a killing on it.

The number of foreclosed homes staggers the imagination and with more adjustable-rate loans about to reset, the end is nowhere in sight. The crisis, however, provides the opportunity to purchase a house that was all but impossible for many to afford in the boom years.