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There are pitfalls to buying a new home at any age, but even more so for an uncritical, first time single buyer.

"I felt I was ready to find a place of my own so I started looking two years ago," Michael, a 32-year old told me. An east coast transplant, Michael has been living in San Diego for five years. "I was watching other people making home purchases and I kept thinking where do I fit in to this? A lot of friends were buying condos. I wasn't too interested in buying a condo and I was thinking if I want to put effort into making a purchase, it should be a house."

Michael wanted a home with two or three bedrooms, two baths, and a garage. But there were things he wasn't concerned with: "Coming from the East Coast, I wasn't looking for a family-style, suburban development. I don't have a family and I wasn't concerned with school districts or the extra family amenities, such as pools or community centers. It just wasn't my concern."

So Michael started looking. "The more I looked, the more familiar I became with certain locations. I realized which areas were desirable and which ones were not. In southern California, particularly San Diego, homeowners are concerned with views, but that wasn't important to me. I wanted functionality within a home," he said.

Price ranges started pushing Michael farther and farther away from his work location. "Seeing prices, the homes that I had an interest in would have made me 'house poor.' And I'm not saying I was in love with these homes. So I was thinking I'm going house poor buying something I only sort of like."

Finally, Michael found a home he liked in a desirable location. The initial walkthrough revealed an older home, built in the 1950s in what was considered a modern-style back then. It needed a major renovation. "Being a single-handy male -- I grew up helping my family repair things around the house -- I figured I could do these repairs on my own. So the house in its present state didn't frighten me. My agent told me this area was a prime location and that I should make a decent offer. So I put an offer down and the offer was accepted." That should have told Michael something.

Inspection time came. Michael was wise enough to ask a trusted, seasoned homeowner to look at the property with him. He was hoping for an unbiased point of view. The inspector was less than independent.

The problems? "The house was at the base of a steep, unlandscaped, sandstone hillside. It didn't have central air or heating, nor insulation. The two wall heaters were not up to code. The kitchen was a wreck and had not been remodeled since Day 1 -- 1950s! The appliances appeared original, and were leaking gas. The bathrooms needed more than just a serious cleaning. The garage door was hanging by a thread. And the carpets needed to be replaced.

According to Michael, the inspector had a few good points. The roof was solid. The outlets were wired correctly. There was a decent size backyard. "Considering all the rains southern California has been receiving, it looks like that hillside could have been in my bedroom," Michael sighed.

Having a second look at the work that was required and the money needed to do the repairs, plus the initial down payment, Michael realized that this house would cost him more than what he thought it was worth. "So I ended up pulling out of my offer. I not only pulled out of the deal, but I ran away screaming, 'Let me out!' "

It was a great learning experience, but it was extremely nerve-racking. I learned that if you're not comfortable doing something and your gut tells you that you shouldn't be doing it, then don't do it!" Michael said.

Giving in to buyer's remorse, Michael just didn't like the house enough for the cost of the house and the repairs that were needed.

Hindsight, however, is a different story. "If I had bought that home, just over the past year, I probably could have resold that over-priced fixer-upper and made $50,000," he told me.

Advice to other young singles: "Get married and have a second income! Seriously though, make sure what your buying is really what your looking for. It is a huge investment."

By the way, Michael is still not in the market, although he has looked every now and again just to see. "I'm keeping my options open and saving my nickels until that right moment."

All singles have a story to tell. Dana Greene is an award-winning syndicated columnist based in San Diego. You can contact her at danagreene1@yahoo.com.