25 Dumbest First Home Buyer Mistakes

I have the job of keeping first home buyers from making dumb mistakes.

Most of the time it works out.

I hear happy stories from graduates of the home buyer’s classes I teach all the time. But when I meet strangers and tell them what I do, I hear the horror stories.

It’s given me quite a list of dumb first home buyer mistakes.

Congratulate yourself for every one of these you avoid. And if you haven’t bought a house, it’s not too late. Stop yourself before you do anything on the list.

Home Buying For Dummies

There are lots of ways to become a successful home owner. Just avoid these rookie mistakes.

1. Deciding to buy a house before getting your finances in shape.
2. Failing to check your credit before starting to look at houses.
3. Ignoring credit problems instead of fixing them when you do discover them.
4. Entering into a lease to own arrangement without legal help.
5. Thinking that you don’t need to take a home buyer ed class from a reputable nonprofit organization.
6. Believing those stupid animated ads on your free email account that claim you qualify for an exceptionally low mortgage interest rate.
7. Getting addicted to real estate porn.
8. Scheduling appointments to look at houses before you know how much you can afford.
9. Leaving your appointment with a mortgage lender without understanding how much you can afford and what your closing costs will be.
10. Only talking to one mortgage lender instead of exploring all your options.
11. Not bothering to read disclosures from your lender.
12. Refusing to investigate if you’re eligible for down payment help from your government or a local housing nonprofit.
13. Calling the agent whose name is on the sign in front of a house you like without knowing who they work for.
14. Failing to take advantage of the help a buyer’s agent can give you.
15. Looking only at the curb appeal of a house you’re interested in.
16. Buying a house without thinking about what will help you make a profit when you sell it someday.
17. Not strengthening your offer with a personal letter in a competitive market.
18. Making your offer without backing it up with a mortgage pre-approval.
19. Thinking you’ll save money by not hiring a home inspector.
20. Buying a fixer upper without understanding how hard it will be.
21. Thinking you won’t experience sticker shock when you maintain your houseafter you buy it.
22. Failing to consider your commute before you choose a house.
23. Not checking our your neighbors and neighborhood before falling in love with a house.
24. Getting distracted by decorating ideas when you do your final walk-through before closing.

And the dumbest mistake first home buyers make…

25. Becoming so stressed out from worry about buying a house that you’re too exhausted to enjoy your lovely new place.

Get Help

There has never been a better time to be a first home buyer.

You have so many options to help you avoid making dumb mistakes. So take advantage of them. Starting with subscribing to Hands on Home Buyer – The Smart Path Home.

Because being dumb is no fun at all. And it’s terribly, terribly expensive.