How I did it: My husband and I decided to buy a house so we started looking around - we saw a lot of good ones so we contacted a Realtor that two of our friends had suggested we use.  She showed us around and I think we looked at 30 or so houses before we saw the one we bought.  We loved it because it was an older home and it had just been redone on the inside.  Compared to the homes made in 2000 and later, it was solid and had an unique character to it.  We did the home inspection and everything checked out.  The day we moved in, the air conditioner broke.  The repair man would not fix it because there was asbestos tape on the duct work around the unit.  We are now trapped in limbo with lawyers, the sellers, and everyone in between!  I like having a house but I hate that it is going to cost us an arm and a leg to get all the asbestos removed and a new unit installed.

Lessons & tips: If you are a first time homebuyer - ask someone you trust - your parents, relatives, other friends - about what kinds of questions you should be asking.  Know that for certain periods of time asbestos and other toxic building materials were used.  Just because they are in the house, does not mean you will die from it, but know what you are getting yourself into and if the situation can be controlled without removal.

Also, get a buyer's Realtor, not just a "Realtor".  Realtors are mainly there for the seller - remember - that is who pays them.  Some Realtor's, like ours, did have our interests in mind too, but not all of them are so nice.

Just know what you are getting yourself into - once everything checks out - Enjoy it!

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Jul 26, 2009, 06:48AM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer