Buying your first home is both exciting and infuriating, depending on which stage of the process you're in. Those first few days of looking at properties and letting your new home daydreams run wild can be a lot of fun. Then things get real, because now you're dealing with a seller, and the results of a property inspection, and some completely unexpected financial demands from the lender.We've asked several people in their late 20s and early 30s to think about their own first home experiences and those of their friends, and see what kinds of lessons were learned that can be shared with others. Hopefully some of the insight collected here will make that exciting period last a little longer, and make the infuriating period a lot more tolerable.

##Buying a house with kids in mind

##3 things my wife and I learned when we didn’t buy our first home

##What first-time homebuyers need to know about closing costs

##7 things I didn’t know about buying a condo in New York City

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