Buying your first home is a BIG deal - it’s exciting, fun, exhausting and, yes, at times stressful. But sometimes first time home buyers, or even second and third time buyers, can find themselves making these common mistakes that might seem like simple oversights but can end up costing them big time. Keep watching to arm yourself to make the most out of your home purchase and avoid these 4 home buyer mistakes.

Let’s get right to it - four simple, but costly, home buying mistakes you should avoid to save yourself time, stress and money.

House shopping before you get prequalified.
What you think you can afford and what you actually qualify for can be two different things. Many details can affect your affordability like your debt to income ratio, your credit score, or even your employment status.
But other less obvious details can factor in as well, such as current interest rates, HOA fees, and property taxes. All of these factors added up can affect what you can qualify for, so it’s best to get an idea on your true affordability before you start actively seeing homes.
This way, you don’t get your heart set on an amazing home, only for it to be broken if you find out it doesn’t fit financially.
Not hiring a buyer’s agent.
Okay, I know, you’re probably thinking that as a real estate agent I’m being completely biased here but this is a biggy. Sometimes buyers just don’t know to hire a buyers agent. Other times, buyers will try to go directly to the listing agent thinking that it will be easier or give them an edge in negotiations. But it’s more likely to cost you more.
Here’s the thing: The listing agent works for the seller, meaning their job is sell the home quickly and put as much money in the sellers pocket’s as possible, not look after your interests. The seller’s needs will always come before your own. A great buyer’s agent is there to help you save time, money and stress, and guess what - it typically doesn’t cost you a thing! Sales commission is negotiated between the listing agent and the seller, and the buyer’s agent is paid a portion of it at closing.
That’s right - even if you try to purchase a home without representation, all you’ve done is given the listing agent double the commission and foregone hiring someone to protect your interests in the process.
Not looking past appearances.
I get it, in a world of Pinterest and HGTV, it can be easy to find yourself looking for the picture-perfect home, finished perfectly to your tastes. But don’t overlook great opportunities that might just need a little elbow grease.
For example, you might fall in love with a beautifully finished home but overlook details like the location, lot, or other factors that can’t be easily changed. Instead, it could be worth staying open to homes that need a little updating but are better priced, better located, or have better bones.
Purchase with the long game in mind, instead of paying a premium for superficial details that might possibly fall out of style during the time you own it.

And, finally -

4. Forgetting about additional costs.

If there’s one reason I love to meet with my buyers 6 to 12 months before they think they’d like to make a move, it’s to prepare them for the financial costs of purchasing a home. Often times, homebuyers fixate on the more obvious costs like the down payment for a home.

But there are other upfront costs you’ll want to anticipate and save for, like the costs for inspections, an appraisal, and closing costs which can account for 1-2% of the sales price of a home. Because this is such an important topic, I’ll be going more in depth on the costs to purchase a home in my Real Talk Video, so be sure to subscribe to this channel and hit the bell to be notified once that video is posted.

Okay - those are just four of the most common mistakes that we help our buyers avoid, but I’m sure you have your own questions and concerns around the home purchase process— so leave me a comment with any burning questions you might have regarding buying a home!