Help requested

[wordwitch]

You've done it, now help me do it.

I need to know what useful things you know about looking for and purchasing a house.

ETA: Thanks for all the helpful commentary. This is my first time as a home-buyer, this late in my life, and the whole thing has always frightened me.

Comments

[newjerseybadger.livejournal.com]

1) Home Inspectors aren't perfect. No two home inspectors will have an identical list of things to be considered. Go through the house with an experienced friend as well, if possible.
2) Stains on the floor or wall of the basement are indicators of potential floods.
3) The older the house, the older the electrical system. The newer the house, the cheaper the construction (but the attic joists will be better in newer homes. Our '40s-era house has, I kid you not, 1x6 joists over the oldest part of the house
4) There are books on this subject (AMAZON: Search on "How to buy a house":
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764553313/sr=1-1/qid=1137421028/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9941965-8863127?%5Fencoding=UTF8 and others at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/104-9941965-8863127?search-alias=aps&keywords=how%20to%20buy%20a%20house

--NJB

Buy and read at least one before you see your first house. Home Depot and Lowe's, if I recall correctly, both sell books about buying houses.