Buying a home can involve a lot of steps and research.  Be sure to avoid making these mistakes so that your purchase is a smart decision.

Making an Offer Without Contingencies

It’s not a good idea to sign a contract that commits you to such a big purchase without having some contingencies that allow you to terminate the deal upon completing your due diligence.  The most common contingency is the option period which gives the buyer the opportunity to terminate the contract for any reason.  Other contingencies include a financing contingency and one that make the contract contingent on the sale of another property.  Talk to your Realtor to make sure your offer includes the appropriate contingencies.

Not Getting Everything in Writing

Even though you might think the seller or seller’s agent is a great person, you absolutely want to get all agreements in writing in the form of a contract or amendment to the contract.  The last thing that you want to discover in your final walk-thru is that the seller took the refrigerator even thought they verbally told you that they would leave it.

Not Getting Pre-approved

There is a difference in getting pre-approved and pre-qualified for financing.  Getting pre-approved is more thorough.  This should involve sending your lender actual documentation to support your loan application.  This will help eliminate any hurdles up front so that the underwriting process goes smoothly.

Buying the Most Expensive Home on the Street

When you buy a home you always want to think about future resale.  Even if you are planning to live in the home for the rest of your life, an unforeseen event could occur that requires you to sell the house.  Buying the most expensive home on the street may make it difficult to sell it down the road when there are more affordable options in the area.

Buying Too Much House

When most home buyers start their search, they want to get the biggest house that they can within their budget.  This isn’t always the best idea.  You need to think about the costs associated with buying a bigger house such as utilities and maintenance.  It’s a good idea to give yourself a nice buffer in your monthly payment budget.

Not Focusing on Location

It’s a cliché, but location really is the most important criteria.  You want to make sure that you are buying in the right neighborhood, but you also want to focus on the location within the neighborhood.  Some buyers make the mistake of buying a home on a busy street or near a busy commercial property because it was more affordable or had nicer features.  Picking a home in a bad location will not only be an issue while you live there, but it will hurt when it come to resale.

Buying the Wrong House

Be sure to weigh your wants vs. needs before making an offer on a house.  This will help you ensure that you satisfy your needs even if you fall in love with the staircase or the master bathroom in a home that you like.  Make sure that the floor plan works for your personal use so that you aren’t just buying a home that looks good, it should be functional too.

Not Doing an Inspection

Doing a complete home inspection during the option period is critical.  This may uncover some hidden defects that you and the seller did not know about.  You may even get some ammunition to reopen negotiations with the seller and request repairs or compensation for the defects.

Not Doing Enough Research

Know the market and review the comps.  Ask your Realtor to put together a list of all the active comps and sold comps from the past six months.  This will give you an up-to-date snapshot on how the market is doing.  You may even ask your Realtor to go back 5 years so that you can see how the neighborhood has appreciated.

Moving Too Fast

Buying a home is a big deal.  Most home buyers spend months researching and viewing properties online prior to getting serious.  Take the time to go back for a second or third showing on the home that you really like.