Buying a new home is a huge investment, and you want to do it right. However, many people encounter major challenges when buying a home, moving in, and settling. 

This article aims at providing tips for first-time homebuyers for a smooth buying procedure. It will discuss some of the red flags to look out for, as evidenced by the issues that most new home buyers complain about. 

Top 4 Issues That New Home Owners Complain About Most

1. Delays in the Closing Process

It is frustrating and inconvenient when you don’t close the house by an agreed date. You may have already made arrangements to move from your current place, and now you have to change your plans.

Several factors may cause delays. For instance, the builder may run behind schedule for project completion, there may be delays in the bank in processing your mortgage, or your real estate agent is sloppy.

While you may not fully control delays, you want to be informed of them as early as possible. Stay in touch with your real agent and bank every step of the way. If the house is still under construction, visit the site or have your agent visit it regularly. That way, if there is a delay, you will know about it in time and adjust your plans accordingly.

Do your due diligence when hiring a real estate agent or finding a contractor to ensure they are reputable. Check their online reviews on various review websites.

1. Paid Too Much for the House

One of the biggest challenges when buying a home is finding one you like, fits your budget, and wins the bid. When most home buyers find a home they like, they tend to make an offer quicker to minimize competition from other buyers. As such, they are afraid to negotiate the price or let go of a seemingly good house if they feel it is overpriced.

What ends up happening is they find out when they have already closed that they could have found more affordable options or negotiated their home price slightly. 

To prevent this from happening, work closely with your agent to establish the average market prices for the type of home you want to buy. Search for the bestselling properties, consider customer reviews and do not hesitate to negotiate for the best price with the seller.

1. Higher Maintenance and Other Expenses Than Expected

Most new home buyers are so caught up with meeting the upfront cost of buying their house and paying mortgage installments on time that they forget to factor in costs involved in running the home, e.g., homeowners insurance, property tax, utility bills, and minor renovations or touch-ups. These costs add up and can make it challenging to run your home.

When prospecting for a new house, work with your real estate agent to determine the approximate additional costs of owning a given property. Then, narrow down your options to houses you will afford in terms of both upfront purchasing and maintenance costs.

1. Poor Quality of Fixtures and Finishes

Contractors and sales agents have mastered the art of setting the show house to make it appealing to potential buyers. Therefore, when you first get into the house, you may not see its shortcomings. Besides, you may not tell that fixtures and finishes are of poor quality unless with prolonged use. 

When buying a new house, check whether the contractor offers upgrades. Get the comprehensive new home upgrades price list and compare the total price against the standard house. If the difference is not too significant, consider upgrading for better quality finishes and fixtures. It will save you in renovations and contractor costs that you would incur to do the upgrades after closing. 

For many people, buying a house is a long-term commitment. It is not like buying a shirt that you can quickly dispose of and get a new one if you are dissatisfied. Therefore, you want to do a risk assessment for what could go wrong and prevent or manage it beforehand. The above issues are a good start at assessing for red flags in the buying process.