Good resources to educate a first time home buyer? (feedback, agent, housing)

[eastwesteastagain]

Hi there -

My family and I are seriously considering buying our first home within the next year. I've been visiting this board for awhile and have realized (as silly as this may sound) that I need to educate myself on a very basic level about the process of purchasing a house for the first time, the basics of applying for an FHA loan, the basics of finding a real estate agent, etc.

I don't want to waste anyone's time by asking all of these newbie questions here, but was hoping someone could point me towards reliable resources so that I can figure out which questions I should even be asking. At this point, I am overwhelmed by the amount of information "out there" and not in the best position (aside from common sense) to evaluate what is reliable and what is not.

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

[Sasha Eubanks]

There are usually first time homebuyer classes available either through your bank or other local financial counseling agencies. These agencies vary from state to state.

[eastwesteastagain]

Thanks!

[Brandon Hoffman]

If you'll figure out hiring a good agent, they'll take care of the rest for you. Search the board and you'll find some excellent posts about how to find a good buyer agent.

[eastwesteastagain]

Thank you!

[LawoftheLand]

The MN Attorney General's Office publishes a great booklet that is especially useful for first time home buyers. Very little of the content is Minnesota-specific and it's a terrific educational tool. (I looked up the Pennsylvania AG's version and unfortunately it's very light on substance.)

You can download the document at Office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson - Your Legal Rights.

Good luck!

[le roi]

i took a first-time buyers' course with my municipal government, and it was quite helpful.

i'm skeptical of the suggestions that you find a "good agent" first. while it may be true that you need a good agent, if you're new to this, you probably have no idea what constitutes a good agent in the first place. IMO you really need to learn the basics of homebuying (and especially how pricing works) firsthand, to protect your interests, before looking for an agent. that's just my opinion.

[eastwesteastagain]

Originally Posted by LawoftheLand

The MN Attorney General's Office publishes a great booklet that is especially useful for first time home buyers. Very little of the content is Minnesota-specific and it's a terrific educational tool. (I looked up the Pennsylvania AG's version and unfortunately it's very light on substance.)

You can download the document at Office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson - Your Legal Rights.

Good luck!

Oh, this is very helpful! Thank you!

Originally Posted by le roi

i took a first-time buyers' course with my municipal government, and it was quite helpful.

i'm skeptical of the suggestions that you find a "good agent" first. while it may be true that you need a good agent, if you're new to this, you probably have no idea what constitutes a good agent in the first place. IMO you really need to learn the basics of homebuying (and especially how pricing works) firsthand, to protect your interests, before looking for an agent. that's just my opinion.

Thanks for the feedback - I'm a skeptical kind of gal myself and want to learn the basics before I start looking for an agent.

[dal2aus]

The HUD website has lots of information for anyone learning about homeownership.

[smagid]

HUD, VA and FHA have great resources for first time home buyers.