If home ownership is what you're after, now is a pretty good time to make that dream of yours a reality.

For the first time in five years, the San Antonio new-home market is one for the buyers.

Thousands of new houses are just waiting for owners. Out-of-town investors, clutching the copy of Forbes' magazine that called the Alamo City's housing market the country's hottest, have for the most part gone home.

And homebuilders are trying to move unsold properties to save on taxes.

Consider it a clearance label slapped on top of that “For Sale” sign — a chance for you to take thousands off the sale price, snag a lower interest rate or get free upgrades.

Don't expect to name your price for a custom-built dream abode. But if you're looking for a new, move-in ready house priced at or under $175,000, do ask what the seller can do for you.

After all, there are more than 12,000 new and existing homes looking for a family. That means more choices for buyers and more competition among sellers, a combination that can translate into savings for savvy home shoppers.

In a recent article for the Real Estate section of the San Antonio Express-News, there was a great rundown of some of the best new-home deals in local real estate.

KB Home, it said, was offering potential buyers $15,000 toward closing costs or offering to shave dollars off of homes' price tags. Newmark Homes was offering buyers an interest rate of 5.87 percent, far lower than the going rate. Fieldstone was offering $1,500 toward a big-screen TV.

If you hate home maintenance or expect to move in the next two or three years, don't let these offers lure you into a home-buying commitment you aren't ready for.
 
If you're thinking the deals might help you make a get-rich-quick flip, think again.

One of the reasons many investors have pulled out of San Antonio is that it can't guarantee double-digit returns on investment dollars. Not to mention that real estate investing isn't a sure moneymaker.

Besides, we are in the middle of a national housing slump. And San Antonio, which had for some time been a ray of light in the dimming housing market, is finally feeling it.

The city's September home sales were down 18 percent from a year ago, according to statistics from the San Antonio Board of Realtors. Condo and townhome sales are down 38 percent. Granted, we're not taking as hard a hit as some other cities, but our housing market hasn't flown as high, either.

The median home price in San Antonio has risen 5 percent since September of last year, but at $142,000, the average home still is far more affordable than a piece of real estate in L.A., New York or Miami.

The bottom line: If you've been riding the housing boom waiting for the right time, your moment to pounce is now.