Advice for First Time Buyers

1. Affordability. Meet with a mortgage officer to get pre-approved and determine how much a bank will lend you and also to help you determine how much you feel comfortable spending.
2. Location. You can fix, update and personalize a lot of things in a home but you can't change location. Do you like the feel of the neighborhood, is it close to what's important to you? (job, family, recreation, church, friends, ...) Check with the local police to learn of crime statistics for the area or school district to learn of levy's, school performance, etc.
3. Features. Write down separately what you both need and want in a home and then compare notes. Examples: # of bedrooms, # of garage stalls, # of bathrooms, townhome vs. single family, age of home
4. Look. Get out and look at homes, take notes, decide at the end of each day of looking what you liked and didn't like, what you learned.