Just about everyone who knows what they’re doing when it comes to buying a house has bought a home before and learned from their mistakes the first time around. First-time buyers are in a tough position, with banks, real estate agents and sellers looking to exploit their naivete.

Amber of Blonde & Balanced and her husband find themselves in such a position, and are overwhelmed as they nervously creep toward closing on their first home. She dumps her brain in a post titled “Sh*t First-Time Homebuyers Say,” and here are some of the areas in which she was confused:

* Closing costs can be higher than expected. When banks pre-approve your mortgage, they’re not always upfront with the fact that you may have to pay as much as $5,000 in closing costs to seal the deal. These charges are negotiable, even though loan officers make it seem as though they’re hidebound.

* Your mortgage payment isn’t the amount you’ll pay each month. Finance guys will sweet-talk you into low-sounding payments, but you can’t use that imaginary number for budgetary purposes. Home insurance and property taxes are piled into the monthly payment, potentially upping the figure by hundreds of dollars.

* That sense of urgency you feel is fake. Agents, sellers and loan officers want to see the sale completed, and they aren’t looking out for you. They’ll play games with you, manipulating your emotions in order to get you to seal the deal. There’s no need to hurry, and little to be gained by rushing in. In this market, the longer you wait, the lower the price you’ll be able to get.

Sh*t First-Time Homebuyers Say [Blonde & Balanced]

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