I wish I had access to all the information that is now at our fingertips!  They need to be reminded how good they have it with the internet and all the available technology!

     I wish I had known that the Agent represented the Seller, and that the Agent was more interested in his commission check than he was in helping me get a good house.

I wish I knew I was heading for a divorce so soon after we moved in!

I wish I had know how much work goes into making a house a home.  My first house was new construction so we had to do all the landscaping and hang all the drapes, blinds, etc.

That I should have done it earlier, while still in college.

My eyes were wide open in my pre- license class thirty years ago.  Should have taken the class before I bought my first house.

Cody Carmen I wish I was in real estate when I purchased and sold my first home.

That the housing crash of 2007 was about to begin...

Before I bought my first home?

That I was to be promoted and transferred within a year.

Now, what I find today are buyers who perceive themselves fully informed and capable, stoked to the max with HGTV.

When to rain on their parade is the hard decision. "No, that is reality TV!  In the real world, lowballing is not going to work."

Maintenance and upkeep costs were my big awakening.

Actually ignorance was bliss and my wife's intuition plus good seller paid off

Wish I knew how much it cost to re-model a kitchen!

Cody Carmen - a lot, I'd say. I was in IT when I bought my first home - and that is also a reason for me to be in Real Estate...

There are so many First Time Home Buyer classes and FTHB loan programs available that anyone who is seriously interested in becoming a homeowner just needs to take advantage of those resources. There is a ton of information on the internet to help them locate any resources they need to move forward.

I would have liked to know more about VA financing since we went that route vs. conventional.

We did not get an inspection, but we were very lucky and had no issues.

Nothing in particular.  Now, though, I think first time homebuyers often don't understand the true cost of owning and maintaining a home.  Like Sybil Campbell said, there is cost in making a house a home... and there is the ongoing maintenance.  I think they don't have adequate savings to cover unexpected expenses.

Cody,

Having had our commercial real estate practice, we were well-informed.  So nothing there for us, and we are natural researchers and we knew exactly what we wanted and where.  A

I bought my first home in 2008.  I'm sure you can guess what I wish I knew.

Not a thing; it was perhaps the best home/property purchase I ever made.

The costs of homeownership

Cody, it is disheartening to hear that buyers lack knowledge about the home buying process. We all seem to hope that our information, knowledge and experience is getting out to the buying public with all the media outlets we now have in today's world. I would think that down payments and the tightening of lending in the past several years would be a bigger factor.

Should have bought the first home I viewed.  6 months later still kicking myself.

purchase home warranty first year

to have a home inspection.

Great answer from Wayne Martin !

Yes.

that I was going to get a divorce in the next 12 months.  Yeah it sucked.  I lost a ton of money

My first purchase was a co-op - never again! Wish I knew how arbitrary the board can be in declining potential buyers when you try to sell.

That fix ups cost three times more than the estimate and that they take three times longer than they tell you!

I cannot think of anything that I wished I had known. My husband was very handy and mechanical and could do almost all the maintenance. He and I installed the HVAC system, put on a new roof, built on a room and storage building, installed a fireplace and remodeled the bath and kitchen. If you can't do those things then you need to know trusted vendors to call and have the money to pay them.

I wish I sould have known the neighbors better

Most issues are not as scary as they think 

I wish I would have known the doors to the bedrooms didn't close. My second home had doors that closed.

That the Sales Consultant was just looking out for himself!