I'm a banker with mortgages as my specialty, If you have a banker that doesn't take a 'minimum' 2 hours with you (yes, more than 1 appointment) then see another. Get references from your friends for a good mortgage lender who gave advice (not just the one who said you can buy $xxxx). Make another appointment with your mortgage lender for a year after you've moved into the house to now discuss ways to 'save' money on your overall mortgage costs. You're not going to listen to all nor be able to absorb all the advice when you're hyped on finding that house. I LOVE the people who advised "don't go to your mortgage maximum and don't worry about a huge down payment (keep some money to the side)". Take your amortization to the 25 year amortization -- you can double-up payments over time and add lump sum payments to save money in the end. For U.S. residents have you calculated the costs of going over a 30 year amortization? My husband and 2 of my son-in-laws are builders and I was secretary of a provincial home builders association for many years. It's frustrating when people won't listen to advice! Always get a home inspection whether your bank requires it or not ($500 is pennies in comparison to how much a required, unexpected reno costs you and the overall mortgage cost) ! Ask trusted friends, family, etc. before you hire your contractor/renovator (my husband hates to and sometimes refuses to go into a home where the owner first hired the 'cheapest' quote). And your builder cannot be perfect nor the building inspection company -- so stop expecting everyone to tell you everything that is wrong - take a little responsibility yourself.

Couple of practical things; One-Make sure the power company does actually connect on the day they say they will. We had no power for a week and a 6 week old baby in the height of an Aussie summer! Two-Meet the neighbours BEFORE moving in day. Often they are not happy with lots of truck/cars etc and noise on a day they are probably quietly resting. Happy neighbours means happy days in the future. Three-Take a ton of photos! Always fun looking at them in the future as you might change things out or see the garden change. Four-Check EVERYTHING is finished and correct. We had arguments with the builder who denied the door handles were his painters fault for being broken. He never finished off plumbing correctly and windows did not open. Our fault for not checking and ended up with us having to try to prove it wasn't us who did damage. Not fun!

Well I think all the above comments are good and they contain all the possible answers to your question. I would just like to add that you should check that the HVAC and the furnace are in proper working condition so that you do not have to face any more future expenses.

It is wonderful for many, but home ownership is like having a child.... It is never done,completed or mature. Always needs tender loving care and you never lose your sense of responsibility. I hate it.

While it is a huge responsibility that should not be taken lightly, when it's yours you are proud (much like with a child). Sometimes it does things you do not like, again like a child, but chances are your heart will love it anyway. Just make sure you get to put your own stamp on it in some way. Whether its new floors, different paint colors, or just curtains you picked out yourself. When there's more of you in it, you will still love it even when it has an ugly tantrum while guests are over.

Well said chrisinky.

Thanks. Sometimes I have fleeting moments of brilliance. They are rare. :)

chrisinky LOL

Sometimes people do renovations and end up changing the very thing that made them fall in love with the house.

Be aware that home maintenance costs average about 1-2% of your home's value per year. Your taxes and insurance premiums will most likely go up every year. Don't be house poor - a good rule of thumb is to have monthly payments (including taxes and insurance) of no more than 25% of your NET monthly income. That's a lot less than what the bank will approve you for, but will allow you to properly budget for the financial responsibilities of home ownership, and give you more money to decorate!

That second post in this thread, by anitanazar, couldn't be stressed enough! I learned this when I moved into my nearly 100 year old home. Give it time...get comfortable with the home. It will tell YOU what needs to be done. Seriously.

Plus, in an older home, you really don't want to remove any of the original architectural details. They have survived for generations...let them be!

Introduce yourselves to the neighbors, ten houses both directions. Make sure they know what kind of cars you drive, and those of your closest family. Provide your emergency numbers. Don't want to scare you, but escrow closings posted in the paper are followed by thieves that wait until you are at work, pull up, clean you out since so much stuff is already in boxes. The neighbors don't know if you are donating, or if family pulled up to help. I sold real estate for years and have heard about this sort of thing happening in my town. Our agents advised clients as part of a closing exercises.

Finish these updates: flooring, cabinets and painting.
Don't finish these until later: Light fixtures, kitchen hardware, new furniture. Best to live in a few weeks at least, and, check if the décor/theme you had in mind truly fits in to new place.

Research the neighborhood of the home you are considering buying. Location Location Location is a saying for a reason. Is it family friendly, dog friendly, senior friendly, whatever your priority is, check it out. Drive by night and day, take a walk in the neighborhood, get a feel for the people. Then after that, try to get a house with decent infrastructure, like plumbing and electrical......or if you can afford it, make those upgrades BEFORE you move in.....cuz once you're in, life happens, kids happen, and you'll never get around to it!

If the foundation isn't level, get it leveled before moving in; better yet, get the previous homeowner to get it taken care of before making a final commitment. Get them to truly fix everything on the inspection report. And maybe check with the city's code office to be sure nothing was built that wasn't permitted (if you live in a place with strict permitting and code compliance departments).

Honestly.....I just bought my first home on November 25th.....I did everything right, Great Realtor, Home Inspection, researched the area....if I can express anything...it would be to Talk to your potential neighbors....I certainly wish I had....I have yet to move in to my "Awesome" house because, now I do not wish to.....I absolutely Hate my house now and can't wait to put it back on the market. Since where I moved is a small town, everyone knows your business, my neighbor informed me that my house had a mole infestation (hence all the fleas in my basement when I first went to look at the house), along with a camel cricket infestation; she informed me of our neighbor, the one who lives on the opposite side of me, how he is "a bit junky"....has a lot of cats (none of which he takes care of) and a dog chained to his dog house, that barks incessantly, that never goes (or has been) in the "big house" and is forced to stay outside no matter the weather; the fact that I am the first black person to purchase and own on this "prestigious" street....how the hill off of the main street is known as "Ni**er Hill" because this is where all the towns black population live....there are black bears that wander around....no need to worry though, they are more afraid of me than I am of them....o_O...about how I'm basically the "token" of the town.....The sellers lied, because they gave the impression that they lived there, when in all actuality, they never did, and rented the property right after they purchased it....not only is there a train visible from my front door (in the winter), but it comes often (funny how it never came in all the many visits to the home, except until after I had already purchased it) oh, and the cherry on top....the sheriff's office which is located a couple doors down from me...is also a prison, with prisoners that wear stripes and work in the "yard" doing outside work...Yay!!!....I research everything, but this did not keep me from making the BIGGEST Mistake of my entire life, and a rather costly one...if I can stress anything, do your research.....Research, and Research some more. I Love my house, but HATE!!!! the location, and this is something that those Gorgeous panaramic mountain views can not make up for.........

Several things: get an inspection by an independent inspector, even if it is a brand-new home; hire movers and feed and water them; pack several boxes that have everything you need to sleep and get up the next day (bedding, toothbrushes, pjs, clothes for the next day); begin making notes about your thoughts, ideas, complaints. Also, as many people have mentioned above, if you can do things BEFORE you move in, such as painting, removing something you don't like, DO IT BEFORE you move in. Last of all, be sure that if you plan to do any major remodeling, you have concrete plans, i.e. you can do it yourself or you can hire someone.

If you have young kids, try to get your family to help! It will be easier, and much more joyful. Make a party out of it! :)

I was lucky purchasing our home...my one neighbor was very "involved" (at first I wondered if he would be an issue), however he followed the home inspector around and told him the things that had been wrong in the past with the home (i.e. termites 5 years previously, etc.) and told the guy to look really good to see if there were any issues...he also offered to clean my fireplace and told me to let him know when I was ready to replace the shared fence, which was wood rotted and like balsa wood on his side, we split the cost of the wood and he and his wife did all the work (didn't like my help, I wasn't exact enough for their standards) I gave him an extra $200 for the labor and he also replaced a third of the back fence that a tree branch had taken down and the other owners didn't care. When we had two trees come down during the first big wind rain storm both he and the neighbor on the other side were out there with their chain saws in the rain and wind cutting the trees up...if I need anything done and it involves a chainsaw they almost duke it out as to who gets to do it...last time Sam got to do it because he said he'd clean my gutters too :)

Stay in the home during an inspection. Make sure you're not hiring the seller or agent's friend. Make your own list of things you want the inspector to check. And if you can, get a second inspection.

If an inspection shows things that the seller agrees to fix prior to purchase, have the home re-inspected to make sure the work was done and done properly.

If buying resale make sure the house has cable outlets and that the closets can fit hangers…

If you follow the many suggestions to do troublesome work (ie cleaning, sanding, painting etc) before you move in, along with water and TP, bring a coffeemaker and cups. Though I will always have fond memories of picking up coffee every morning we came to our new home to do work, it could have saved us time and money to have the coffee in house!

Make sure that you have enough storage space and...ALWAYS label your moving boxes.

Get a building inspection...make sure there is not dodgy workmanship...or white ants.

Keep the amount of $ you spend for improvements to a minimum if it's your first home. Most people I've known only have their first home for a few years and then decide to upgrade to something nicer, bigger etc....realize that if you spend thousands of $ on improvements you may not see much return on the investment.

All great advice. I'd just like to add, don't go in thinking 'first house', go in thinking 'home.' If you get a good quality home in a nice neighborhood (not a McMansion, by good quality I mean a sturdy, well built home) it could be your long term home and by the time your kids are ready for college you'll have it paid off. Constant trading up of house and mortgage pretty much means never paying off the mortgage.

! agree with christina8822 100%. Better to have a good home than a never ending stream of escalating debt leaving no funds for helping your kids through college or retirement.

If the home is carpeted, see what's underneath before ordering new flooring.

I bought my first house in 1985. It had wall-wall old bright green shag throughout. Since the house was built in 1969, I thought it was original. I had ordered new carpeting and scheduled installation for immediately after closing. It was until the carpet installers ripped out the old carpeting I saw there were terrazzo floors in every room. Had I known that, I wouldn't have re-carpeted.

Llucy, friends of ours lived with ugly 1970's harvest gold vinyl floors in their kitchen for more than 30 years only to discover when they put the house up for sale and ripped up the flooring to replace it that there were exquisite terrazzo floors in an elaborate mosaic design underneath. They were devastated at what they had missed!

Go thru all your belongings and anything you dont want get rid of this way you wont waste time and energy moving stuff you dont want!

@feeny

I feel your friends' pain! Stories like these are a reminder that interior design is fashion...goes in and out of style. And also such a matter of personal taste. Sometimes a long ago owner (or builder's!) taste, is a better match than the last owners'. Aye.

Phillius, it all depends on whether or not you can live with it "as is" for awhile, you should also consider the disruption to your household in living there during a remodel if you don't have family to stay with. In our case, we wish we would have removed the hated cheap "spa tub" before we moved in, as it is in the one and only bathroom in the house.

Take a walk through the house prior to settlement to see if the brass outlet covers, heavy acrylic bathroom shelves, and light fixtures in bathroom and kitchen and bedrooms are still there. We didn't; we got burned. Thank goodness they couldn't walk away with the furnace! Seriously, always do a walk-through before settlement.

Everyone else seems to have the big stuff covered. Here are a few moving tips. I have moved 14 times in 20 years and picked up a few things.

The more organized your packing is, the better. Just tossing stuff into a box sucks to unpack, especially once you get to that point when you just want to be done.

Try to budget for eating out, at least for several days. Just makes it easier and gives you a breather from the stress of moving.

Pack your plates with styrofoam plates in between and then wrap the stack in bubble wrap. Not super earth friendly, but I figure it is probably better then purchasing a new set of dishes once you think about the manufacturing and packaging.

Check the water pressure before you buy. You don't want to live 10+ years with just a trickle in your shower.

If you are planning on getting new furniture try to order ahead of time. Most things take anywhere from 4-12 weeks and measure, measure, measure!

Pick one room, I like the bedroom, to get done first. It will be your sanctuary, in the midst of chaos.

Pack 1 set of bedding for each bedroom being used and 1 towel per person in your car. As soon as the movers leave, make the beds first. Nothing more frustrating than being dead tired and having to search through all your boxes and make beds.

If you keep existing carpet, get it cleaned before move in. All I can say is yuck.

Bubble wrap is worth it!

If you are hanging a TV hire someone to do it. We paid $100 and they guarantee their work. If it ever comes crashing down, we are covered. Fyi, big box stores, like Best Buy, charge way more. Home theatre businesses are typically better and a lot of the time family owned.

Don't forget to keep at least 1 roll of toilet paper at the place you are moving from and the one you are going to. Seems every time I help someone move they have to run to the store because it got packed.

If your home doesn't come with window coverings make sure to get them before your first night in the house or have a way to hang something. Your neighbors will thank you, unless they are pervy.

Keep lots of beverages around. Anyone helping you move will be grateful, including the movers. All the movers I have used love Gatorade over anything else.

Most of all take breaks and remember it is a happy day, sometimes the stress of a move can get to people.

I used rolls of Christmas paper to cover the windows that had specialty measurements until the custom window coverings finally arrived.

Bought my first home about a year ago. I had buyers remorse for a bit but that's normal. Homes are very expensive, taxes are insane and it seems like costs are never ending. I guess my advice would be to be prepared for a lot of work and spending money endlessly, especially when first moving in. Save more money than you think you need for tools, maintenance expenses etc. Also, I probably would go against what most people would say, but wait longer and save more money and spend more money to get the house you want, not a starter house. Financially, it makes more sense in the long run because if you move after 5-7 years, you'll lose money most likely. You get what you pay for. We spent a little more than what we wanted but have much less to worry about because the foundation is solid..the a/c, deck, roof, windows, boiler fairly new-- basically the essentials of the home are all new so no big expenses for awhile. This also means we will stay in the house much longer and its a good size for what my wife and I want for the future (kids). Last tip would be, ENJOY IT. Buying a home is very stressful at first but there is nothing better than calling a place home. A place that is unique to your personality and a place of comfort and enjoyment for many years, god willing. Best of luck to anyone looking for a new home!

good points, diy. my son and his wife are looking for their first home, and i told them, unless one knows one will be poor "forever" and/or is amazingly clever with tools and industrious beyond words, its much much cheaper to wait and buy what you want rather than *pay* to renovate what you want.

have faith! stay strong!

nnigrt, thanks. We made sure the core of the home was solid so that we hopefully don't have any huge expense in the short term. We had to refinish the floors and we're looking to install a glass shower sooner than later. We painted much of the home already and man, what a difference that makes and its not that expensive. Overall, those are cheap renovations compared to what most people have to do. I've become extremely handy once I realized how much money I can save and also get things done faster, customized to what I want and for literally a small fraction of the cost. My diy of choice is furniture. So many things in my home I built myself. And what's even better, we have chestnut trim around all our doorways and entryways in our home. I was able to match the stain and have made a coffee table, side table, console table, pantry among other things. I also made a patio table and 2 benches for the backyard, all of these things saving me literally thousands of dollars. My new diy kick has been landscaping which can be extremely expensive. I did it all myself saving me thousands of dollars once again. Thankfully I have the time because of my work schedule. I'll only pay for certain things like an electrician or plumber if I absolutely need to. And, if I do pay someone, I watch them so I can learn about it and take a crack at it myself before calling someone. Cheers.

Make sure to have a large cash reserve! The day we moved in we found out the freezer had holes in it and was not staying cold enough! Then the stove stopped working. So we replaced all of the major kitchen appliances with a new set and found that the dishwasher did not have proper plumbing! The supply line was a garden hose! A few weeks later the washing machine stopped working. There always can be something wrong, so when you use any reserves work toward replacing them!

Farm house patio

If the inspection finds items that need to be corrected or fixed, make the seller take care of them prior to closing. If you don't, expect to be the one to take care of it when YOU sell. Cost me an additional $1200 at closing to correct a situation that I gave the seller a pass on.

Oh, and get a stake survey. Whether required or not.

If your talking about the actual moving experience. go to the liquor store and get smaller boxes. They are not as heavy to fill and if you happen to have books, they are a boon. If they have boxes with dividers they can be used for glasses or goblets.

The first move we made I wrote what was in the boxes so I would know where they go. That was fine, but better and faster to put a number on all 4 sides of the box (so you can see it no matter which sides is out) and keep a spiral notebook with the list of things in the box and the number of the box. JUST DON"T LOSE THE NOTEBOOK! (yes, that IS the voice of experience)! You can put the room name such as Master Bedroom and then a number so you know at first glance what room the box goes in. And if you should lose the list at lest you have the boxes in the correct rooms.

Put your hanging clothes into large garbage bags with the hangers at top and tied. I like the "stretchable" bags best. it keeps the clothing tighter together. Group about 10 items together, depending on the weight.

Pack your dishes with styro plates and bowls or paper plates and bowls between them to prevent them from breaking. Again, smaller boxes are best for dishes because of the weight. You can save the paper plates after to be used for eating if you are the frugal type.

Cut handle holes into the side of boxes to make them easier to carry. Just cut a rectangle leaving the top attached and fold the cardboard inside to make comfortable handles

The last room to pack and first to unpack should be your bedroom. If you don't get finished in one day, you at least have a place to sleep.

The next should be the kitchen. It has the most packing and unpacking and you can get a lot of boxes out of the way doing it ASAP. Plus you can then actually fix something to eat sooner.

We have moved in the past several times with kids. Assemble the kids bedrooms first, with some of their toys , games, and coloring books. It will keep them occupied. Also don't fall for the line of the moving men to help uncrate your dishes, glasses. All they can do is unwrap them and stack them on the table or floor.

When moving also bring bars of soap and towels for the kitchen, and bathrooms. You can bathe the children before bed and yourselves. Bring a broom some dust rags, and plastic bags for trash - you will start using right away. I did the numbering of boxes and listed what was on the inside and kept a 3 ring binder listing the box number and what each box contained. So easy to find a needed item right away. Also our table wasn't unpacked until last so

we had a picnic on the floor for lunch and snacks.

I also recommend stocking up on power strips to plug in before any heavy furniture is placed blocking an outlet!

Before any other furniture in the house, make sure you get the beds set up in bedrooms because when you are done for the day, you will be collapsing in those beds! Also make sure you have your soap and shampoo for that shower you will be needing.

Everyone wants to show off when it comes to moving into their first home because many dreams are connected with it. That’s why it’s important to hire a landscape contractor service first. I personally know the best landscape construction service provider: Landscape Structures & Designs Inc. They can help you to choose a full range of designs and services that meet your needs.

Everyone’s dream is to have a home. There is a list of such items like tile installation, wall decorating, landscaping, hangings, etc. as far as interiors are concerned. But when we talk of an outdoor area, “railings” are the first thing that should come to mind, as they make the home look lavish and are available at an affordable cost. I recently attended the National Home Show in Toronto where I saw the range of products from CPL Aluminum Railings & Glass who specifically displayed their topless glass railings and wrought aluminum railings.