What first-time buyers get wrong

I like working with first-time buyers. You ask good questions, and you care about getting it right.

You also tend to make the same handful of mistakes, usually because nobody explained the process before the first Saturday of showings. Here is what I see most often, and how I try to keep you out of it.

Shopping before you know your number

Looking at listings is fun. Writing an offer on a house you cannot actually buy is not.

Get a pre-approval, or at least get far enough with a lender that we know your price range and your cash to close.

I work with Kaden Roller. You can use someone else. Either way, do this first. See how much you need and what credit score you need.

Falling in love with photos

Professional pictures are supposed to look good. They also hide smell, noise, slope in the floor, and the highway behind the fence.

Tour the house. Stand in the yard. Drive the street at the time of day you would be home.

If you are buying from out of town, we can use video, but I still want you to be picky. Photos are a start, not a decision.

Ignoring the inspection calendar

This is the expensive one. Once you are under contract, the inspection period is a real deadline.

I tell buyers to schedule inspections immediately because if we miss that deadline, you can lose your earnest money. Typical inspection costs are about $400 to $500 for the whole home, plus extras like radon (about $130), termite (about $100), sewer (about $200), and structural (about $300) if needed.

Money you planned to spend on information is very different from money you forfeit. Read the full cost page.

Waiving protections to “win”

In a multiple offer, it is tempting to look stronger by giving up your inspection or guessing high on price. Sometimes a stronger offer is just being clean, funded, and easy to work with.

Giving up the chance to inspect a house you have never owned before is a big ask. I will tell you if I think you need to be more aggressive. I will also tell you if I think you are about to buy a problem.

Forgetting the payment is more than principal and interest

Taxes, insurance, and mortgage insurance belong in the number you judge the house by. So do utilities and the first round of small repairs. If the payment only works on a perfect spreadsheet, it does not work.

Waiting too long to ask for help

You do not need to study for a month before you talk to an agent. The timeline is shorter than it looks once someone is walking you through it.

If you are moving here from somewhere else, start with relocating to Kansas City. If cash is the fear, start with MHDC assistance.

One more: trying to keep every relative happy. Parents and friends have opinions, and some of them are useful.

They are not the ones living in the house or signing the loan. If five people are voting on every showing, you will either freeze or buy something nobody quite likes.

Bring the people you trust. Then you and I make a plan you can stand behind. You are the one who has to like the kitchen on a random Wednesday.

My job is not to rush you. It is to keep you from making an expensive first-timer mistake while you buy a house you are actually glad to live in.