Regarding selecting a home, work with a local realtor who has historical experience selling within the neighborhood. They will have more current knowledge about real life issues you’ll be interested in, as well as trends in sales prices, time-on-market, etc.
Regarding finance, interview several loan officers and compare first time buyer programs, be sure to get Good Faith Estimates and Truth-in-Lending Reg Z printouts which will detail ALL costs…an old game in the business is to rename costs to avoid the appearance of overcharging.
Negotiate everything, including your title insurance and escrow costs, your homeowners insurance, etc. Always leave enough savings in your pocket for that surprise repair you have to make 8 days after moving in.
Don’t get forced into a rush escrow. Try to find a friend, relative or neutral co-worker who has recently purchased a home as well. Despite their less than objective perspective (and possible horror stories), they may be a fountain of information and common sense wisdom – things they did right, things they wished they had done differently in hindsight.
These are all answers about the process, don’t know if you were looking for something else.
