I need info on how to go about applying for loans and so on. I would like to have a good amount of money set aside to use for a down payment, but I dont know exactly how to go about buying a house. I wont be doing it anytime soon (I just signed a lease on my apt and have close to nothing saved up.)

I guess I just want to know what the home owners of IA did to go about looking and about how much they had saved up for the down payment.