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Well, I hope I can help you with the experience of buying our first home. Here are some very important things to do:
1- make sure you are completely satisfied with the home. Any major problems should be fixed at the seller's cost. Make sure it's in the perfect neighborhood-if you have kids, see if there are other children around their age in the neighboorhood- do a neighborhood report. Do a pest & home inspection. Check everywhere yourself. If you or someone you know is good at inspecting for damage/etc., do so, on top of an actual inspector.
Ask the sellers if it is a smoke-free home, if there are/were pets there, if they know of any damages/problems. Ask what all is included in the house (aka appliances, yard tools, etc.)
Write out all of the essentials of the house you want. Then, add on qualities in which you would like to have, but aren't necessary. Give that list to a realtor so that they can better help you.
-Whatever your loan amount is for, you want to start looking at houses approx. $10-$20thousand lower than that. Also, have the seller or a broker write out an estimated monthly payment that would best suit you.
-Best at getting gas heat- electric is insanely expensive.
-Don't give into to an offer you are not completely satisfied with. Counteroffer until it won't work, there are always other houses out there.
-Pay attention to every detail as far as money/fine print on papers, the house being exactly what you want, and don't be afraid to ask questions or speak up of a concern.
I hope that helps. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. We learned the hard way and rushed into it, although it was a pretty decent place, we weren't happy with it. Best of wishes!
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