Advice From New Home Owners to New Home Buyers

We asked some of recent home buyers what they would do differently in the home buying process or what they wish they knew then. You might be surprised by what they had to say:

"I wish I had saved more money before I bought the house. I didn't budget for mini-blinds and a lawnmower. Now the grass is growing like crazy and the neighbors are tired of looking at bed sheets as draperies!"

"Getting IN the house was just the beginning. I've just spent $500 on a bunch of little things just to get comfortable -- no furniture or window treatments yet."

"Pay the money up front for a Home Inspection. If you spend the money and decide not to buy, consider yourself lucky. We believed the seller when he said 'newly remodeled' and didn't check things out. Now we need a new hot water heater, the A/C doesn't work, the garbage disposal jams all the time, and the bathtub leaks. We probably could have gotten him to fix some of these things or knock off the price had we known."

"The Home Buyer Class really opened my eyes. I didn't want to spend a Saturday indoors, but it prepared me to deal with all these real estate agents and lenders who want to "help" me. It taught me how to shop smarter."

"I wish I knew the real estate agent who showed me all those properties really represented the seller. I didn't know I could request that she serve as a buyer's agent and look out for me."

"Drive through a neighborhood you are interested in at different times during the day, evening, and on weekends to get the true flavor of the area. Get out and talk to neighbors who are outside."

"Get a free copy of your credit report BEFORE you start looking at houses or talking to banks. Know what they will be looking at and correct any errors early -- it takes time. Also, learn how to pre-qualify yourself before you go to lenders."

"The good news is: when it's clean and beautiful, it's all mine. The bad news is: when something breaks or clogs, it's all mine, too!"

"Shop around for your mortgage loan but don't let them all pull your credit report. Just ask them for interest rates and terms (i.e., 30 year fixed, 15 year adjustable...), origination fees, and other costs. Make sure you compare apples to apples."

"The GHRP people helped me by answering a few questions over the telephone. They aren't selling anything -- but they give away knowledge."

"I wish someone would have warned me about all the 'New Home Owner' junk mail that keeps coming - how do they know I'm here?"

""Patience is a virtue!" and "Haste makes waste!" are true when buying a home."

"Keep an emergency repair fund - take some money in each paycheck. When something breaks, it's usually expensive."