The first factor that you should consider when making your decision is what your budget is and how much you can afford. We have all heard horror stories of families and individuals losing their homes to foreclosure due to not being able to afford their mortgage. Figure out what type of down payment you can make on a potential home, what your financing options are, and what your monthly housing payment may look like before deciding to purchase any house.

Secondly, decide what type of house you are looking for. A cape is a lot different than a colonial and a single family dwelling is much different than a multiple family unit. This choice can be priced based or just a simple decision based on what style of home you prefer. If you have a larger family, consider your space needs when deciding just how much house you need.

When it finally comes time to look at a home, consider its location. Do you want to live near a school, your place of employment, the town center, a major highway? All these location factors will also have an effect on the house's final price. As you are touring potential houses, make sure you take note of everything and have a keen eye. A realtor will point out only the best facets of each house and downplay any issues. Be well versed on everything about a potential house, from its foundation to the roof, so you make sure you don't inherit any costly problems without your knowledge.

Make sure that before you make the final decision on the home you buy that you get the home professionally inspected first. The home may have simple issues that you wouldn’t notice that would come out in an official home inspection. If the sellers are backwards and refuse to let you have a home inspection done, than it most likely means that the home may have unnoticeable problems and you should walk away from the home entirely.