First-Time Home Buyers — What's Your Best Piece Of Advice For Anyone Looking To Purchase A Home?

BuzzFeed
·2 min read

Buying Your First Home 101 isn't a class you can take in any school that I know of — but TBH, it should probably be required learning everywhere.

NBC / Via giphy.com

Spending countless hours browsing through Zillow listings like you're on an episode of House Hunters? Incredibly fun. Actually starting the home-buying process...and then being responsible for an entire home?! Horrifying in every way.

Since it's impossible to be armed with too much knowledge when embarking on the exciting/stressful process of buying (and then owning!) your first home, we want to know exactly what you learned when you purchased your first home — and what you wish you'd known before you even started looking.

Here's an example: Maybe you got so swept up in the excitement of making your first-ever offer on a home that you forgot to visit the neighborhood at different times...and those neighbors that make QUITE the racket after 8 pm? Yeah, they're not moving anytime soon.

Man covering his ears in frustration while working on computer
Deepak Sethi / Getty Images

Maybe you wish someone warned you that opening new credit accounts in the weeks prior to closing is a big no-no — since a noticeable dip in credit score could potentially jeopardize your mortgage altogether.

Close-up of hand putting a credit card into a paper shredder
Grace Cary / Getty Images

Maybe that "fast flip" you purchased (with the promise of brand-new-everything) looked reaaaaally good during your tours, but now that you're living in it, it's pretty evident that there wasn't a whole lot of thought — or care — put into those renovations.

Maudit / Via giphy.com

And here's a personal one: Before purchasing my first home, I didn't shop around for the best mortgage rate. In hindsight, I could've gotten a much better deal (and saved thousands of dollars in the long run).

Two different mortgage rates on a mortgage calculator — the latter showing a rate that's .25% lower with a savings of $10,000 over the course of 30 years.
edfinancial.com

Whatever you learned (or wish you'd learned) as a result of buying your first home, we want to hear from you. Give us your best advice for first-time home buyers in the comments below, and your tip might be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post. If you'd rather remain anonymous, you can still submit your advice through this form.

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