AusFinance

There is some fantastic practical advice here. I'd like to add the gut checks:

Make a list of features you want in your home. How much land? Fireplace? How many square feet? Vaulted ceiling? Skylight? Garden space? Basement? Outbuildings? In town or country? Distance from neighbours? Sort your list by must-haves and dream features and get ready for some give & take. You can modify your list, but write it down so you don't lose track of your dream.

Stick to your budget. My partner and I deliberately picked a budget so that one of us could actually make the payments by ourself if something happened. We closed 4 months before COVID hit and her job disappeared (live entertainment wasn't a thing for a couple years). So I paid the mortgage by myself until she found new employment. A bit of an earlier test than we hoped, but it worked.

Advocate for yourself. A friend saw our house listed and said it ticked most of our dream list. I asked our agent to show us and he balked - turns out he was already representing the sellers and didn't want to tell us about the place (WTF.gif). We told him to figure it out. He was very uncomfortable during (he had to get us the best deal whilst also getting the sellers the most money) but the sellers turned out to be very cool and it all worked out. We were very easygoing with the sellers and their uneven schedule, and they appreciated that (we remain friends with them, so bonus).

Hire a building inspector. It's not a small expense but it will save you some surprises. Ours put together a list of issues from mild annoyances to code violations, including time estimates for major appliances failing (older furnace, etc.). We were able to add stipulations that the big (aka expensive) issues be resolved by the sellers before closing. They agreed and it saved us thousands of dollars and a few headaches.

Don't settle for "needs some work." Even a staunch DIYer needs to live somewhere reliable. You do not want to move into a new home that has issues. Buying a home with the idea that you'll replace the carpeting in a couple years is vastly different to buying a home that needs the floor replaced. Friends of ours bought an old farmhouse for an absolute steal 5 years ago, but it needed to be stripped to the studs and rebuilt. This October will be the first time they will be able to live in it - they've been camping on their own property as they renovated the house. Home repair is always more expensive and time consuming than you plan for.

Remember, you want to live there for a while and not start your homeowner's journey with a series of headaches. Take it slow. Be methodical. Keep your eye on the prize and know when to compromise (and that you shouldn't compromise too much).

We were house shopping for a year before we got lucky. Our current house met our entire dream list, but on a smaller scale than we had hoped (due to our smaller budget). It worked out even though it was a bumpy ride.

Finally: ask questions. The bank wants you to buy a house. The sellers want to sell the house. They will do their best to make it easy and comfortable for you to navigate this process. If you have a broker/agent on your side, even better. All your questions have been asked before, so you will get answers. You won't be navigating in the dark.