Making that first purchase (well all big purchases) can be very exciting, and stressful. The best advice I can give you is to make sure you get references for a extremely good home inspector. The cost for an inspection about $400, have this done prior to the purchase. The inspector will give you a report of everything that needs to be fixed in your new home, and you will be able to ask him questions. If the home inspection shows major issues,, you can put this into your contract as a negotiation tool. I personally would try to avoid houses built more than about 20 years ago. One thing I learned when purchasing my 1st house was, all those things I didn't like, and thought I would change never got changed! Walls can be painted, flooring replaced, but floor plans are pretty much set in stone, so make sure you get a floor plan you like. We purchased our 1st home about 35 mins outside of the capital city area where we worked. We got so much more house for our $. We did spend money on gas, but the schools were excellent, and the small town atmosphere was exactly what our souls needed. Oh and since we were 30 mins from the closest major stores & restaurants we saved money from not making so many little trips to the stores and eating out! One thing I would have been different would have been to have bought a house that was a few years old, my daughter developed sever asthma which I believe was due to the off-gasses from the new house products. After we moved to our 2nd home, which was 10 years old, she has not had any asthma symptoms. Hope this has helped somewhat, Good luck!

Thank you! That does help a lot. I actually look forward to making cosmetic changes but mostly just care about the floorplan and condition at this point.

Mary Pointer makes excellent points. Usually a termite inspection is done too. Ask about the age of heating and air and the roof. It really depends on the overall price of the house though; because if you buy an older home and the price is low enough you could easily have those replaced and get the unit or roof you would prefer. You might research age of home and when they stopped using lead and asbestos in things. I was once told they still used asbestos in vinyl in the 70s but that as long as the floor was covered it was not an issue. I am just not an expert in that arena.

Whether you are planning on having children or not, it is a good idea to look at school districts, because when you sale your house a large per centage of people buying will frequently want to know this. If you see a house in an area you like, get on the computer and research the other homes close by that are for sale. You may want to look at them too. And it will also give you an idea of whether the price is right for the amt of square feet, age of roof and appliances. If neighbors have upgraded, then a house that house not should be a lower price. It could be a negotiation tool.

A show to watch on HGTV is Property Brothers because they show you what cosmetic changes can be made to an older home. They tear out walls though an you may not want to. Open concept seems to be in; but when you have pets and children sometimes it is really nice to be able to close doors to rooms. I like my "closed concept" for that reason.

good point about the AC unit, and other small appliances. When we bought our current house, the inspector told us that one of the AC units was working but was over 10 yrs old, and would probably need to be replaced soon. We paid about $136 for a year for a small appliance warranty, when the unit went out within the year, we were covered only had to pay a small deductible, not sure what it was, but I know it was a lot less than paying for everything out of pocket!

A big problem is that many of the homes around here have that dryvit synthetic stucco all over the fronts of the houses, and apart from the fact that I hate the look, the chances are pretty good that they haven't been maintained in the recent economy. Oh, and many new neighborhoods here in Florida also has these awful things called CDD fees and they can really add a lot to your monthly payment.

Don't be swayed by the prior owners decor (favorably or negatively). If it's nice, remember they'll be taking it all with them when they move. If it's bad: Paint is very cheap & carpet isn't that expensive either.

Look for good storage, and as mentioned above floor plan. Get a RE agent. Seller pays their fees, so it'll be free for you. Also, compare price per sq. foot w/ comparables. That will drive much of whether you make $$ when you go to sell the home. Ask to see some peak season utillity bills - water & electric can really add up in the summer down South (heat up North).

I need to advocate for you to interview several Lenders that are LOCAL (not internet) and Realtors that are referred by people you know had excellent experiences. A good Realtor-Lender team will achieve : that you buy IN YOUR BUDGET (vs as high as you are qualified) and FITS your LIFESTYLE and NEEDS. This is what I do in Northern Virginia. If you need some referrals, let me know- my cousin just had a good experience with a Realtor to help him relocate into a rental.

Thanks! We do have a good realtor who's a friend of the family as well as good financing. Now we just need a good house that's worth the trouble!