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Chris Davidson and Shuhsien Zhu pose in front of their Crescentwood home. This weekend's Money Matters is about the challenges of being a first-time home buyer in a booming real estate market. The hottest segment in the city is the $200,000 to $250,000 range, the price point for many newbies to the home buying game. Not only is it highly competitive, but changes to lending rules over the last few years have made it increasingly difficult for first-time to qualify for the right mortgage with an affordable monthly payment. Contact for the story is Shuhsien Zhu, who along with her husband recently bought a home in Crescentwood for around $200,000. They didn't have too much trouble finding their small fixer-upper, but they could have spent much more as their bank had approved them for a whopping $600,000 mortgage. December 4, 2013 - (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press)