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things i learned from buying and selling a home that **MAY** benefit someone else:
the house you wanna buy? get it inspected at least twice (2x) by two separate reputable companies and set up a meeting to consult with them about their reports.
it may sound extreme but spending a few extra hundred dollars on an inspection can literally save you from financial ruin down the line.
if you are buying a townhouse/rowhouse please understand that your neighbors will be fluid. the nice couple. you saw living next door at the open house might not even live there by the time you close. or their felonious nephew might move in.
HOAs are hit or miss. but if you buy a townhouse or a rowhouse and you don’t have an HOA one rowdy neighbor can upend your life.
renting is NOT just throwing money away. you’re paying for a service and part of that service is a fixed price for your housing for the term of your lease. this allows you to save money way quicker than buying a fixer-upper.
home warranties and home insurance don’t cover everything. make sure you know what your policy does. and also understand that when things break around the house they may not get fixed as fast and efficiently as you might think.
before you even think about financing a home it’s best to pay off or pay down your credit cards and/or car loans. owning a home is a full time financial job. the less pianos you’re carrying on your back the better.
do NOT spend all of your money on the down payment. if you’re broke after closing you did the entire process wrong. the honeymoon is over as soon as you put pen to paper.
depending on your down payment/interest rate/real estate market if you decide to leave the property in less than 2-2.5 years you’ll probably (?) lose money **prices have skyrocketed lately so this might be null & void currently**
a fully funded emergency fund is much better than any cosmetic changes you might want to make as soon as you move in. that new carpet is nice but now your basement is flooded and you’re broke. not good.
if you’re putting down less than 20% you’ll be paying what’s called a mortgage insurance. 
when you see how much this costs it will be like when you first saw FICA come out of your first paycheck as a teenager.
when you see how much this costs it will be like when you first saw FICA come out of your first paycheck as a teenager.
mortgage insurance is the best/worst hustle in the world. they agreed to front you some money and now you gotta pay them to prove to them that you’ll keep paying them. it’s absurdly evil.
if the appraiser knocks down the amount the bank is willing to lend you for the house below the agreed upon price it’s probably not smart for you to fill that gap with your own cash. they buy and sell homes all the time. you don’t. listen to them.
i’m not a financial advisor. i’m a poor. some of us .... like ... we only get one shot to get this right or it can mess up a few years of our life. double and triple check my information with others. these are just my observations.
your real estate agent doesn’t have to live a second in the house you buy. your real estate agent won’t make not one payment towards your mortgage. your business is down with them after closing. always keep this in mind.
done*
if you find yourself miserable in your new purchase please note that it costs money to sell your home too (even if it’s just deducted from your profit). uncle sam gets his cut coming and going.
