With housing markets slowing to a crawl and mortgages harder to obtain, houses are staying on the market longer and longer across America. In such a complex market, both buyers and sellers need to educate themselves as much as possible. If you’re a prospective buyer trying to figure out how much you can afford, Mortgage-calc.com has a range of handy calculators and online worksheets. You can even figure out if it’s better to rent or buy and how much you could qualify for in a home loan. To find out the estimated value of your home, check out Zillow.com’s free Zestimate function or Eppraisal.com. Both sites can help you do a lot of research before calling a Realtor, and neither requires you to enter any personal information. At either site, you can enter ZIP Codes and neighborhoods and find home listings in those areas and their prices. In addition to online resources, many books can educate you on the most advantageous ways to buy or sell a home. Real estate columnist Ilyce R. Glink frequently appears on The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show, giving real estate advice. Her books include 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask ($13.57), 50 Simple Steps You Can Take to Sell Your Home Faster and for More Money in Any Market ($4.24) and 10 Steps to Homeownership: A Workbook for First-Time Home Buyers ($10.20.) See a selection of her books on Amazon here. You can read Ilyce’s blog and learn many sound essentials of personal finance at ThinkGlink.com. A house is the biggest item most people will ever buy or sell, so it makes sense to know as much as possible before you start.