Buy buy buy!

As long as you are going to be staying somewhere for a predictable while, it is getting to the point where there is absolutely no reason not to buy a house these days. $8000 in free money, houses on the cheap, and low mortgage rates make it a buyer's market like never before.

There are possibly perks if you take out your mortgage from a bank as well. We took out our mortgage from Bank of America because it was a good program and good rate, but we also found out that having that mortgage gives us the privilege of higher savings account rates, free paper checks on demand, and a free safe deposit box rental. It all depends on whether those things matter to you, but for me it was pretty sweet...