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My family and I are renters, and most of the time that feels fine. But last week I found myself in a state of temporary panic when I read this Twitter post from the financial journalist Felix Salmon: “John Paulson: if you rent, buy. If you own, buy a second home.”

When I read it, I immediately felt anxious. I recognized the feeling. It’s the feeling you get when you think you have to act on something right away or you’ll miss out. After all, if John Paulson, the guy who made “The Greatest Trade Ever,” was saying I should rush out and buy a house, I’d better get on it!

After allowing myself to get all worked up about this, I did what I’ve done several times before. I pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil and worked through the emotions and the numbers. In the end, I was reminded of something incredibly important.

John Paulson doesn’t know me or my situation.

There is absolutely no reason I should be making decisions based on something he said. The same is true for any other “expert” who decides to share his guess about what he thinks will happen next in the housing market.

The same holds true for the other three people who just happened to express similar concerns to me about buying right now. Two were convinced that if they didn’t buy a house now, they’d be priced out of the market, and maybe they will be. But I heard that argument a lot in 2005-6.

Then there was the third conversation I had.

It’s time for this person to downsize to a different home. The children have all moved out and the house just takes too much work. But even though it’s the right decision to sell now (given her individual situation) and buy a smaller home, a decision has been made to wait because the news, the forecasts and even the guesses are implying that the house could be worth substantially more sometime in the next 12 months.

This is madness!

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions that most of us will make in our lifetimes. And yet it’s often a decision in which the person with the most knowledge about what makes the most sense gets overlooked: You.

There’s a simple way to fix this problem. As I was reminded last week, all it takes is a piece of paper, a pencil and some time. So if you’re struggling with this decision to buy (or sell), take a minute to think through these questions and write down the answers, because I suspect you’ll need to refer back to them the next time somebody decides to share what he thinks will happen with housing market. This list is not meant to be prescriptive. It is meant to get you thinking about something other than forecasts and guesses.

■ Can you afford it, and do you have enough saved for a down payment? Make sure you include the cost for things like property taxes, homeowner association fees and utilities.

■ Can you qualify for a loan? If the answer right now is no, then you can stop torturing yourself, because it doesn’t matter if the market is about to take off. You can’t buy a house.

■ How long do you plan to live in the home? There’s some debate about the minimum time you should live in a home for it to be worthwhile, but if it’s less than five years, forget about it.

■ What guess are you making about housing prices? It is a painful reality that the one variable that makes a huge difference in this decision is unknowable. What is going to happen to housing prices in the short term is anyone’s guess. But for your own sanity, just assume that housing prices will continue to increase by about the long-term average of inflation, or 3 percent. You really can’t afford to buy a house if the decision depends solely on what the house might one day be worth.

The answers to all of these questions will depend on you and your individual situation. And that’s the point. Hopefully it’s clear now how ridiculous it is to buy a house based on some stranger’s advice.

Through this process, you may discover that buying and owning a house isn’t for you, and that’s O.K., too. But these questions can also help end your anxiety around what is probably the biggest financial decision you’ll make. Don’t you think that’s worth a piece of paper, a pencil and a little time?

A great step in improving your overall financial situation is to take a look at your assets. This can include your loan to value ratio for your home. A great way to improve this number is what experts in the industry call flipping your home. There are many indoor and outdoor cosmetic changes that can be made to you home that will increase the overall appraised value. Let’s take a look at just a few.

First walk outside. Stand at the curb (look both ways first) and take a look at your house. If you use the garage entrance in the back, you can sometimes not realize what your house looks like form this angle. Remember, when an appraiser pulls up, this is the first impression they are going to have on the home. Make it a good one.

Now do a walk through of your home as the appraiser would. Do you have a leaky roof? Is the chimney in good condition? Replace damaged bricks around the house and also check your gutters and downspouts. Check the homes foundation. Verify that water drains away from the house and not toward it. If you can’t tell right now, check the next time it rains.

Next check plumbing and electrical work. If you have 2 prong ungrounded outlets in your kitchen or bathrooms make sure you upgrade to GFCI outlets.

Back outside make sure you lawn is green and healthy. While maintaining the perfect lawn outside isn’t easy, you can at least seed and water it. If you prefer faster results, but precut grass pallets from your local home improvement store. Then, cozy the place up a bit. Annuals make a great addition to landscaping and are extremely easy to maintain. If you have not foundation level buses, not only do that really help in making the place inviting, but they are usually very cheap to but at your local nursery.

Bring out the pain cans. Freshen up your front door, exterior walls, and certainly inside your home. Don’t go too bold. Your appraiser or real estate agent sees many houses and while they do remember the one with hot pink walls it isn’t for a good reason.

Lastly, update your appliances and countertops in the kitchen. It is costly, but you can usually see your return fairly quickly. Laminate hardwood flooring is the best replacement for worn out carpet. You can install it yourself and it also won’t break your budget.

Have you ever considered renting out your extra bedroom to supplement your income? More and more people are doing it. A great place to start is by calling up the college in your city, and asking to have your name added to their tenant list. They will ask you a series of questions that you will need to have already thought out. For example: Are you going to charge a deposit? How much will you charge for rent? Is there kitchen access? Will they have access to a laundry area? Will they be required to come in at a certain time of night? You can also place ads on other online sites and the local paper announcing that you have a room available for rent. Make sure that it is obvious that this isn’t a roommate situation; you are simply renting out a room in your personal home.

Some landlords, especially elderly couples, rent out a room at a discounted rate to tenants who help with household chores that may be harder on the landlords. This could include yard work, trash, babysitting, etc.

Make sure that before your new tenant moves into the room you have provided, it is comfortable and clean. You want your tenant to feel at home, and look forward to coming to a comfortable and cozy area. You may or may not provide furniture. If you do, make sure that you offer up a television with cable or satellite service, and certainly a decent bathroom.

Always provide a rental agreement. This agreement should be inclusive of the room, the house, including kitchen, laundry, parking, noise, pets, curfew, and any other rules that may be important to you. Make sure that your tenant has read all of the rules, and ask if they have any questions or concerns. Be willing to amend some items that may be custom to the tenant. For example if they work at a gas station until 11pm, work with them on that.

This agreement can be month to month, every three months, or for the entire semester. Make sure that both you and the tenant are comfortable with everything, and you both sign and keep a copy. Hopefully, the relationship will go smoothly, and you will be able to keep this tenant for a long amount of time. Keep in mind that during vacations you may have some quiet time. Be open and honest about everything, and provide a comfortable home for them to come home to.

Most people dream of owning their own home one day. It is part of the American Dream, with just the idea of being a homeowner conjuring up idyllic mental images of white picket fences and the family dog playing in the yard. If you’re thinking about buying a home, you need to make sure you’ve got all of your ducks in a row in order to avoid hurting yourself financially.

The first step to take is to check your credit score. Most people require a loan to buy a home, and you will get a better mortgage if your credit is in good shape. Start by getting a copy of your credit report and examining it closely to check for problems. If you discover any issues, take steps to correct them right away before attempting to get your loan.

The next step to take has several layers. Before you begin the actual house hunt, you need to figure out what you can afford. There are many tools online that you can use as a tool to determine this, by calculating a figure based on your personal income, expenses and other circumstances. In addition to that, it’s wise to get a professional real estate agent that you can trust to help you make the right decision for you and your family. Along with the calculator and agent, you’ll want to get pre-approved for your loan. Getting pre-approval will save you the hassle of looking at houses you may end up being unable to afford, and should not be mistaken for getting pre-qualified. Pre-qualification is a quick glance at your finances, whereas pre-approval is an in-depth examination and therefore much more accurate.

Once you’ve got those things in order, you can begin the hunt for your dream home. Do not be tempted to aim for a house out of your price range, but do make sure that the home you finally choose is the one you want – in a good neighborhood, with good schools, and in good shape. The “good shape” part is definitely important, so you do not find yourself having to make expensive repairs down the road that end up making your great deal not so great after all.

Buying a home is a big step and an exciting time in anyone’s life. With careful preparation and attention to detail, you’ll end up with the home that you can afford and suits you perfectly, without any unnecessary grief.