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First Time Buyers
Buying a house for the first time can seem like a scary thing. After all, this is the single biggest purchase that most people ever make, involving the biggest debt that they will ever incur and normally the largest single monthly obligation. On top of all that, the process can seem like a mystery. So perhaps you should take some time to get a handle on the age-old question - Should I buy or rent?

So, what’s a first time buyer to do? The key to taking the mystery out of the process and feeling confident in your decision is knowledge – get as much as you can before you start and as much as you need during the process.
Hopefully we can help with that quest for knowledge at this site. Let us know if it works for you or if there are other topics that you need more help understanding.

Before you go any further, we recommend that you take the time to read all the way through the FAQ Page on this site.

There is no difference in the basic process between a first time buyer and someone who has bought many houses over their life. The differences are in the programs that are available to first-time buyers, some potential differences in the financing side of things, and, likely, major differences in what you might want of need in a house verses a mid-life couple with children or an older couple looking for a retirement home. You can help us to help you if you let us know the criteria that are important to you in a first home. This will also help you think about what’s really important. Here’s a page that has links to a checklist for comparing homes and neighborhoods and a home inspection checklist to use while you are going through the homes.

After you’ve read the FAQ page, try the links below for more information that may apply more specifically to your needs. You are advised to take with a large grain of salt any advice on financing that is packaged and presented by a mortgage broker or company, especially those dealing with buying a house with no money down or avoiding PMI insurance by borrowing to increase your down payment. Go to our Financing and Insuring Your Home page for some sound advice and links.

We’ve tried to weed out the unscrupulous articles or advice, but BUYER BEWARE in that arena. For information on predatory lending read this article or follow this link to the site of the Center for Responsible Lending.

Some of the other information concerns ancillary things like taxes or insurance, but those are important to understand too.  The links below may help you find information to aid in your first home purchase. Again, caution is advised when visiting any of the sites below. You are their dream come true – a first time buyer – but, that does not mean that you are naïve. Learn what you need to know to make you a better buyer, including how to keep your emotions in check while house hunting. Also remember that the Internet is a great place to search for houses, but don’t buy sight unseen based only on the information that you read on the Web. Finally, read this article on “Lessons Learned from a Remodeling Project” before buying that house that “we can fix up together”, it just might be a bigger project than you imagine now.
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