Buying your first home can be exciting and amazing, and scary. But knowing the common mistakes of first-time buyers will ensure you don’t make the same ones, and can help make the transition to “New Home Owner!” that much smoother.

1) Spending Too Much It’s important to be realistic about what you can afford. The final sale price isn’t the only cost to take into account when owning a home. Houses come with plenty of bills like heating and property taxes, future renovations and occasional unforeseen costs like burst pipes or city trees needing to be trimmed.

2) Spending Too Little Yes, this can also be a mistake! If you spend too little on a home that you’ll outgrow quickly, you’ll incur the expense of moving (which can be quite pricey) perhaps before you need to.

3) Buying With Your Heart Sure the house is gorgeous, fully renovated and painted your favourite shade of cream and has an ensuite bathroom for every bedroom. But it’s on a busy road and you have three young kids and two cats who like to run outside.

4) Missing Hidden Closing Costs The final sale price of the house isn’t the only cost of buying a home. There are many “closing costs” that should be taken into account when deciding what price range you can afford. Your realtor’s commissions, lawyer fees, transfer taxes and moving costs can all add up.

5) Not Doing Your Research Blindly buying a home can be a big mistake. Whether you’re paying too much attention to your realtor and family “who just LOVE the place!” or are feeling the pressure to make a quick buy, moving into a house that hasn’t been thoroughly vetted can be a big, expensive, regretful mistake.

Buying a home is exciting and daunting. But doing your due diligence can make the process a little easier, and get you into your dream home with (little) stress.