Find a place to set down roots and buy a house so your home life, community presence, and financial position have a starting point and, possibly, a finish line for that inevitable final step decades down the road. According to Chicago-based Fulton Grace Realty, which monitors housing trends nationwide, the combination of lower property prices and steady economic growth makes Milwaukee one of the 10 most affordable large metro areas in the country, which is an advantage to both sellers and buyers. Life is not going to get any easier nor property prices any lower, making now the time for first-time buyers to take what will be one of the most significant financial leaps of their lives.