Thorough inspection

Spend some money and time up front to professionally inspect your potential purchase. Don’t assume! It’s better to lose $500 in inspection fees than $50,000 in unseen repairs. Find possible issues while you still can negotiate.

Shopping for homes using a buyer’s agent is very wise if you are a young or first-time buyer. Having a third party who has seen many homes, knows the area trends and building practices, who can point out potential problems is a good person to have on your team.