I'm not sure how things work in other states but, the county I live in has a program for first time home buyers, people that are getting back on their feet, etc. My two friends who are engaged got into the program and now they have a standard 3 bedroom/2 bath house. (in fantastic stucco/florida development style of course) They basically end up paying about $70k for the house in total and they had to put in 200 hours of their time to help complete the house. But it's well worth it for a $650 a month mortgage payment. It's an awesome thing to get involved with and I think a lot of states have it.
I, on the other hand, was the co-signer on a house which is now worth less than what we're paying for. Thanks, Florida.