AP Photo/Gregory Bull
- The process of buying a house can be painful and tedious.
- Homeownership can also be much more expensive than you think, even if you think you know all your expenses in advance.
- Here are seven things I wish I'd known before I bought a home.
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Sometimes, homeownership is great. It's a point of pride to be able to call a place "my home," and it's a comfort to know a landlord can't tell you what is or isn't allowed and can't kick you out, either.
On the other hand, there's also no one to fix the leaking faucet or creaky shelf for you. Also, while usually a savvy investment in the long run, homeownership is expensive stuff.
And the home-buying process can be a nightmare, too. Just finding a residence you and your family like enough to call home is hard enough. Then you have all the paperwork - the credit reports, the past pay statements, the account spreadsheets - the offer and counters, the inspection, the closing.
Read more: 6 signs you should sell your home, according to experts
In short, the prospect of homeownership is a thrill. The process is a pain.
Here are all the things I wish I'd known before my wife and I bought our first house.