Buying a home

[KarateKen]

Dear Karate Forums members,

I am in the process of shopping for my first home, a condo, and would appreciate any feedback, especially if you have experience buying a condo or in real estate.  I am finding so far there are a lot of things to factor in.  Price, location, building structures, neighbors, HOA, inspections, and on and on. As I mentioned this is my first time through the home buying process, and I have no background in real estate, so I am learning as I go.  I have probably looked at 12-15 locations so far and keep finding problems with them.  I did make an offer earlier this week, however after inspection I am started to reconsider.  What are some red flags to look for? How do I manage the stress of the process?  I am working with an agent who has over 25 years' experience, this was after meeting with four agents and deciding on who to work with, including one who I fired. 

Thanks for the feedback, I am finding the whole process to be nerve wracking.  I am not enjoying this at all, instead of being excited about finding a home to own I just dread and worry about what can/will go wrong. 

[sensei8]

I’ve never bought a condo/honeycomb; I’ve always been a renter.

Many of my relatives have bought new homes; my dad built 2 house; one for his mom and one for himself.

My understanding about buying a home is that one should NOT buy a home in a HOA community because the HOA can be a nightmare; they can end up taking your home away.

Good luck in your search!! Please keep us updated.