First time buyer

we used a realtor to help us find our home last year. we told the realtor what price range we were looking for then she would call us to go look at available properties a couple times a month. took 3 months about to find this house in our range. and the bank accepted our first offer in less than 3 days. i still feel like its a dream. our realty offered inspection services with a company they contracted out to to inspect the home thoroughly before we made an offer. my best advice is take it slow and easy.

get pre-approved, and don't let your eyes/heart take in more than your budget can handle. its a financial decision; not an emotional one. when budgeting, don't forget about your monthly bills and how they might change with a bigger/older house, property taxes, insurance, etc.
take your time. don't settle just to be a home-owner..the more time you take, the more time you have to save extra $ for the down payment. (the more down payment, the less you need to borrow.)
if you decide to make an offer, leave wiggle room for haggling with the owner...don't lay out all your cards on the table with the first round. remember, the ball is in YOUR court, not the seller's..they need you, not the other way around.
when you find one, insist on an inspection. have the contract state what items need repairing from the inspection. (if both parties know this, once inspected, if a repair is needed, and the seller refuses, you can walk away.)

we had a broker - they do it all. we got pre-approved then started looking. he would take us out at least once a week and show us homes in our price range. we made several offers before we finally bought this home. don't forget to factor in increased utilities for a larger home etc.

Go through the neighborhood many times at different times of the day and week. We did that to make sure the neighborhood was what we thought and hoped it was. The only thing we missed was that we thought it would be a quiet street but it get's a lot more traffic then we had thought.

I agree with all of the above and when you are going to sign on the dotted line - READ everything, ask lots of questions.

Location, location, location. Do not buy a house that is less expensive because it backs a busy road or because it's far away from amenities (unless that's really what you are looking for). These may end up being harder to sell when you out grow it, as well as if you are far from amenities then your home insurance could end up being more expensive (the further you live from a fire station and also the house's proximity from a hydrant). Do not buy the biggest house on the block because your price will by higher by comparison when you go to sell and you will get low balled. Look for good school districts or houses that are zoned for the highest rated schools as possible. Check sex offender registries as well (not that this will be a determining factor, but if there is one right next door it may end up changing your mind - better to know before making the investment).

Make a list.