Buying a home is never easy. But when you're a first-time home-buyer, it can seem like an impossible task. Any tips or things that you learned when you bought your first house? Anything that a first time home-buyer should watch out for?

If you plan to use a Realtor, it is a personality fit, so interview a few and don't feel guilty about firing them if it doesn't work out. Find one that you believe will be able to tell you the bad news, and that will allow you to view the homes you want to view versus the ones they want to view. I work with a lot of first-time Buyers and most require more in-depth education than the internet provides. When looking at homes, the amenities you see in the first 10 seconds make everyone feel...

@Steve Awesome advice! Looking at every nook and cranny of a home is definitely a must of ALL home-buyers, not just the first-timers. Since you're a realtor, have you seen any of these buyer habits change because of the pandemic? (Are people buying houses faster, and sometimes ignoring the things you listed, because of the "speed" of the market, etc.?)

I advocate that Buyers smell the homes. Give it a sniff-test, or if considering remotely, have a Realtor do that and then showcase it through video phone call. Pictures do NOT tell the whole story. Pictures and video does not display a mold or smoke smell, or showcase the "aroma" of pet smells. Most pictures are showcased to highlight a property, not it's defects. On a recent tour I did for a rural home. It took me a while to find the driveway, which was a single-car width driveway with 45...

Bought my first house about a year ago. The process itself was mostly painless, but houses were selling so fast in the area it was sometimes frustrating and annoying trying to find a good deal that wasn't being snatched up immediately. One thing I have learned since buying the house that I never would've considered beforehand is to look at the composition of the soil in the area. Where I live the soil is mostly clay which can expand and contract a lot depending on how much moisture it is...

@Landon Martin That's crazy! I would have never thought to check anything like that before buying a home. That goes back to what @Steve was saying though, you really need to be thorough and check literally everything on the property; from the smell, to the actual ground itself!

It can be very intimidating, especially in a seller's market. However, find a good agent that is experienced and they will be able to guide you. Buying your first home should not be done by yourself (I am biased but for very good reasons). There are a lot of mistakes that you can make. Most important is having a good down payment so that your payment is manageable. If your mortgage payment is too high (above 45% of your total income- can vary slightly), then it may be too much of a stretch.

Hello @Nathan_Gregory What I did was talk to 2 realtors at the same time (Without them knowing). I wanted to know who was more transparent with me with the whole process. After I found out who was more informative/transparent I chose them. Along with feeling comfortable with them. Also did a lot of googling so I would not get fooled. Or at least try to minimize those possibilities. Also, cant go in blindly into this process. Also, once you are qualified, the realtors will obviously try and...