Hellobee Boards

I've bought 3 places, 2 were new build.
1. Always get a home inspection
2. Overlook other people's furniture and design choices
3. Don't be house poor
4. Even if it's new build there are still expenses so make sure you have good amount in savings
5. Have fun!!!

Pay attention to flood zones, especially if you're near a coast.

Stairs outside are a royal pain in the winter. Unless they're somehow blocked from snow, you'll be plowing them after every snowstorm, and then chipping off ice if you didn't get all the snow.

Don't overpay. I know several families trapped in houses that no longer work for them because they bought on a market peak.

Pay attention to the fuel source (oil can be expensive if the supply tank leaks) and water source (if it's a well or another groundwater source, it's vulnerable to contamination and needs regular testing).

We were had a fast approaching deadline, and decided to buy / looked at/made an offer/ were under contract very quickly.
We had to see a lot f places in one day to accommodate my husbands schedule- I screened a few ahead of time.
We made a spreadsheet doc for each house. The spreadsheet had a category for every criteria that was important to us. We rated each house during the tour and reviewed on the car ride. You will definitely fall in love with houses, so we found it helpful to have the rating be our guide.

I am really glad that we didn't blow our entire savings on the down payment. A lot of stuff comes up- furniture, paint, tools, lawn mower, etc. and we bought an older house knowing we'd be doing some bigger stuff of the bat.

We love our house, and plan to stay for 5-6 years. The school district wasn't as big a consideration for us because of that, but will narrow our choices significantly for our next house.