How to Buy a House

Now that I am finally done with my vacation recaps, I figured I would get back to the home and DIY posts.  

House buying can be a tricky process.  There are so many steps and new things to learn that it is often confusing and stressful.  I have been seeing a lot of questions lately on the house buying process, and since the market is picking up and more and more first-time homebuyers are looking to take advantage of the low interest rates on mortgages, I figured that writing this post would help answer some questions that you may have.  Having gone through this process just over a year ago, these are the steps that we took to get our house.  

I hope that you find this information helpful, whether you are a first-time homebuyer or not. Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you have about the home-buying process or to let me know if I have left anything out.

Home Inspection Checklist

When D and I were house hunting last Spring/Summer, we had a lot of questions, like most first-time homebuyers do.  One of the most important questions that we had was, "What should I expect from a home inspection?"

If you've watched any show on the DIY Network or HGTV, or you have purchased a home before, you know a little about what you should look for in a home inspection.  But, for all of the other things that you may not know you should have checked, here is a comprehensive list.

While you may not know what all of these items are, your home inspector should cover each item on this list.  If they do not, make sure to mention it to them, so they can take a closer look.

If you are looking for suggestions on Home Inspectors, you should talk with your realtor, who has likely worked with many different inspectors.  The Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Angie's List are also great resources for finding home inspectors.

I hope that you find this checklist helpful! Please leave me a comment if you notice anything missing from this list, or if you need clarification on any of the items!