More than one in 10 first-time home buyers don't know the difference between home owners insurance and title insurance, nearly two in 10 of them forgot to budget for home ownership expenses other than the mortgage and more than one in three weren't aware one real estate agent can work for both the buyer and the seller on the same property.

Despite a bounty of easily accessed and free home buying and selling information on the Internet and elsewhere, the home buying process still comes with a steep learning curve.

Certainly, surprises occur during a transaction as complicated as buying a home, but experts say it's a better idea to know what you are getting into before you buy a home, not during the process.

Even after planning and setting expectations, home buyers still found they had a lot to learn during the process according to RealEstate.com's "2005 First-Time Homebuyers Survey".

Conducted by Zoomerang, an online survey service, the study gathered information from 2,100 home owners aged 18 to 55, many of whom revealed perplexity and frustration about the home buying process.

Among the findings:

• Fifteen percent didn't know the difference between homeowners insurance and title insurance.

• Eighteen percent forgot to budget for cost-of-housing expenses, like homeowner association dues and maintenance.

• Thirty-seven percent were unaware, in some cases, real estate agents can represent both the buyer and seller in the same transaction and practice called "dual agency."

• Twenty-four percent did not know a mortgage preapproval letter gives you an advantage over buyers who don't have the document.

• An emotional low point occurred for 30 percent of the buyers were going through the mortgage process; for 29 percent during escrow; and for 26 percent while they were searching for the right house.

The survey also found:

• Word-of-mouth referrals led 64 percent of buyers to their real estate agent, 30 percent said what they liked most about their agent was that he or she knew the area well and 6 percent wished they had contacted an agent earlier in the process of buying a home.

• Most home buyers, 48 percent of them, purchased because they were tired of renting, only 34 percent used the Internet in their search and among those who used the Internet, most of them used the Internet to either search home listings (41 percent) or find a real estate agent (27 percent).

• Most home buyers (44 percent) moved across town (rather than around the corner or to a new state or city), passed up homes primarily because of the price (61 percent), and repainted the walls (38 percent) and or sought window coverings (40 percent) shortly after they moved in.

On the financing end:

• Most home buyers (29 percent ) paid 20 percent down, but an almost equal number, 26 percent paid only 5 percent down, while 23 percent paid 10 percent down and 22 percent purchased with no money down.

• Asked "What do you know now that you wish you had known when you bought your first house?" the overwhelming majority responded, "To be patient with the process."

"Owning a home is big part of the American dream," said Jeff Lyons, general manager of RealEstate.com.  

"The Internet provides consumers, especially first-time home buyers, with a wealth of information that can help set their expectations and prepare for the ups and downs of the entire process. Whether they're looking at listings, finding a Realtor or searching for the best mortgage, it's all at their fingertips."

Published: July 12, 2005

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A journalist for 35-years, Broderick Perkins parlayed an old-school daily newspaper career into a digital news service offering editorial content and consulting services. Perkins' San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group includes the flagship news site, DeadlineNews.Com, offering real estate, personal finance and consumer journalism, and a backshop, the Deadline Newsroom.