Get home-buying help in the palm of your hand.

Who knew that buying your first house could be so confusing? I always imagine fresh paint and picket fences. Instead I'm mired in percentage points, credit scores, and the idea that I'll be in debt for a very, very long time.

As always, I turn to my PDA for solace. I resist the temptation to play another game of Tetris, and download a few programs to help me keep track of my adventures in real estate. (Note: I searched high and low for a database program to keep track of my thoughts about the houses I looked at, but I couldn't find anything that worked better than the built-in memo pad.)

Top 3 downloads to help you with your home purchase

  1. Loan Pro
    One of the first decisions you have to make when looking for a home is deciding how much you can afford. Unless you're some kind of dot-com millionaire (do they still exist?), you're going to have to take out a loan.

    LoanPro lets you enter different prices, down-payment percentages, and interest rates, then quickly calculate a summary of your loan payments or an amortization table. This tool also can be used for auto loans.

    LoanPro is free to try, $19.99 to buy.

  2. HomeLoan
    This download does everything LoanPro does and a bit more. It lets you create and compare different price and payment plan scenarios, and also contains an inflation calculator and a monthly budget tool. If you're worried about qualifying for a loan, use the Qualify Ratios form.

    HomeLoan is free to try, $10 to buy.

  3. AvantGo
    You may already use AvantGo to read the latest news or your stock quotes, but it also supplies Web content that will help you with your home search. Make Homes.com one of your channels, and you can search for available properties, check daily interest rates, and get all the latest real estate news.

    I also created a unique channel to view updates on my real estate agent's page. Click here to learn how to create your own custom AvantGo channel.

    AvantGo is an ad-supported free service.