12 Things Every Home Buyer Should Do

Buying a home may be one of the biggest purchases you will ever make.

Confident male real estate agent gestures toward a beautiful view out the window of a new home. Interested potential homeowners attentively listen to the real estate agent.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Buying a home may be one of the biggest purchases you will ever make. The more you know about the home buying process, the more money, time and hassle you'll save. And given the global health pandemic, there are certain precautions you'll need to take to help protect yourself when the time comes to view prospective properties in person.

We've outlined 12 things you should prepare for now if you plan to purchase a new house in the months ahead. Take a look.

Patricia Mertz Esswein
Contributing Writer, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Esswein joined Kiplinger in May 1984 as director of special publications and managing editor of Kiplinger Books. In 2004, she began covering real estate for Kiplinger's Personal Finance, writing about the housing market, buying and selling a home, getting a mortgage, and home improvement. Prior to joining Kiplinger, Esswein wrote and edited for Empire Sports, a monthly magazine covering sports and recreation in upstate New York. She holds a BA degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, in St. Peter, Minn., and an MA in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University.