Purchasing a Home, Pt II

Having done preliminary footwork, I think that I have figured out the amount my wife and I will be able to afford on a house. To have enough saved up for a down-payment of substantial size will take another 4-6 months. I am hoping by February or March of next year that we will be in contact with a real estate agent and visiting houses to potentially purchase one. I have a problem adjusting to the idea of not being able to purchase my dream home and my first home. I am wanting to purchase a home the size of the one I grew up in, which isn't possible at this time. Maybe five years from now I can move into a home like that, but in the mean time I will have to be happy to have a starter home. 

My wife and I definitely want to stay in Midtown. The trick will be to find a perfect street with reasonable homes. It is so easy to find homes that look good and then just one block over the neighborhood is completely ghetto. Hopefully all the money will line up and in 4-6 months I can be looking for ideal homes.