The ABCs of Homeownership

Standing tall on the porch of her two-family home in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, Roslyn George looks like the proudest woman on Earth. She owns this elegant wood-frame, and she means to take good care of it. She doesn't own it free and clear yet, and will be paying the mortgage for years to come. But she doesn't look at all worried-she knew what she was doing when she signed her name.

"I'm a person for information," she says. "It's like the biggest investment you'll make in your life, and you want to make educated decisions. I followed the rules."

George lives very close to streets awash in foreclosure. She bought her house in 2006, at the height of the subprime mortgage epidemic. But unlike many of her fellow Bostonians, George took a homebuyer class. Twice. While she may have already been a cautious sort by nature, in these classes she was reminded repeatedly that there are good lenders, and then there are very bad ones.

Thanks to Matthew Brian Hersh