Home buyers, get the most for your money

Best house deals will depend on the local market -- and your patience

Don't be fooled. Not all bank-owned foreclosures are sold at deep discounts. Not all builders are slashing prices. Short sales can be a crapshoot -- with some buyers enduring months of waiting and still not getting the property.

All things considered, it's possible that your best deal is purchasing a traditionally sold existing home, so don't count those out of the running either.

Amy Hoak's Home Economics in MarketWatch