Buying your first home is the biggest purchase most people ever make, and almost nobody walks into it knowing everything. After nearly two decades in the people business and 19 properties bought and sold of my own, here is the honest list I share with every first-time buyer I work with.
Your budget is more than the down payment. Closing costs, inspections, appraisals, moving expenses, and the small stuff that fills a new house add up fast. I help clients budget for the whole picture, not just the 3 to 5 percent down payment, so there are no surprises at the finish line.
Get pre-approved before you look. Sellers take pre-approved buyers seriously, and you want to know exactly what your monthly payment looks like before you fall in love with a home that is out of reach. Your lender, not a calculator website, is the person to trust here.
A good neighborhood beats a perfect house. You can change the paint, the kitchen, and the flooring, but you cannot change the commute, the school attendance boundary, or the feel of the street. I spend as much time on location math as on the house itself.
The offer is not the end, it is the middle. Inspections, appraisals, and underwriting requests will test your patience. This is where an agent who has done it dozens of times earns their keep, keeping the deal moving and talking you off the ledge with actual data.
Buy for your future, not just your present. A home that makes sense for the next three years is fine; a home that still makes sense in seven is better. I ask every buyer what their life looks like five years from now, then we show houses that fit that version of them.
If you are starting from scratch, my first-time buyer hub walks through the whole process step by step, from credit to keys.
Angie Rivers, The Ralston Team
A Phoenix-area realtor who treats home buying and selling like a family affair: listen first, advocate fiercely, stay in your corner long after closing.
Work with Angie