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i'm also getting tired of realtors not putting pictures of the inside of the garage! GUYS WANT TO SEE THE INSIDE OF THE GARAGE!

WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME??

The lender tells you what you can borrow, not what you can afford.

But I thought it only took 30 min to fix up a home like hgtv Lol

My 1 criteria into buying a home: not being haunted

I’m actually very impressed with myself, I was basically already thinking everything you said in this video. Now I feel more confident that I’m on the right track!

They say "winter is coming," but after you buy a house, "repairs are coming" 😂😂 That is a good one! 😂

When you start the whole process , not only do you need to be pre-approved, but you should also be able to buy a home on one income, We didn't buy until we knew this was possible , and its a good thing we did. 8 years after we bought our home, my husband suddenly passed away, leaving me to raise our children and take care of everything. Because we have always been smart with our finances, our children and I are doing well. Now we are selling, and moving to another state, after 16 years total of living in this home. I've been on both sides of it , buying and selling. 20% down is important, as is having an emergency fund in place. Owning will cost you more than you think.

Back in the day, when I purchased my first home to live-in; that was Miami in the early 1990s, first mortgages with rates of 8 to 9% and 9% to 10% were typical. People will have to accept the possibility that we won't ever return to 3%. If sellers must sell, home prices will have to decline, and lower evaluations will follow. Pretty sure I'm not alone in my chain of thoughts.

Thank you for mentioning that renting is not always throwing away money. I have rented for years because I wanted to pay off student loans. While my entire family told me renting was the worst thing I could do. My gut instincts told me, I wasn’t ready for a house. Now that I have paid off my loans and still have minimal credit debt to keep my credit up, I feel a bit more comfortable about looking into buying a house.

I'm a first time home buyer (no home yet, still on the hunt) my biggest suggestion is research pre approvals, morgage lenders, and attorneys. Ignore this guy in the vid, though he makes solid points (like get a pre approval... he's right I cant argue with that. you want a house, get a damn pre approval) but keep this in mind, he, and every other realtor is looking at you from a realtor's perspective, much like my realtor's do, and many other's. At the end of the day, when it's all said and done, these guys are out to making money off the sale. Their concerns are never about you, it's always about the sale. I mean this guy pretty much says it bluntly, in fact, his choice of words leave you with the idea that this guy looks at you as money bags. He's not on your side, he's just doing very little leg work for you, which isn't much (All he's good for really are the keys to the houses, the scheduling of seeing houses, the info on which houses have offers, which ones are still avaliable, that's pretty much all he's good for.. when it comes to buying the house he'll submit paper work and that's that. Whenever you do find a house you like, and you do have a pre approval, do not depend on the realtors to know a damn thing about the house or it's history, not even the sellers realtor. You would think they'd at least do some work on learning about the house's you're interesting in. Common things, things you'd want to know since you're going to be investing in it, like does it have a cess pool or a sewer or a stand alone septic system, is it gas or oil, water or well, how many amps does the circuit box have, whens the last time the roofs been done, if the house is on a slab- is the foundation pressure treated wood or is it bare, or my favorite- does this house have a CO for all this? lol because at the end of the day, they know as much as you do, and that's next to nothing). Again, ignore this guy in the vid, of course you can go house hunting without a pre approval, you can see what you like, you can see what you don't like, you can experience those tough heartbreaks of houses you loved that go under contract and others that get sold. You don't need to be in the house hunting market to experience it. And boy is it really an experience lol I would suggest you try it, even if you're not ready to buy anything right now. Just while you do it know it's probably not wise to put in an offer without a pre-approval (or maybe put in offer and learn that you're an idiot and didn't get a pre approval, I did it. I was an idiot lol can't deny that. I didn't know better. However, I think my realtor should've forewarned me before I dragged him and his other realtor's throughout the course of my window shopping spree lol woopsie, well someone really should have told me, like maybe my realtor lol honestly they really should inform their clients what they need to have before even attempting to look at houses with them. My reatlor never asked me if I had a pre-approval, nor what my budget was and since I wasn't educated in the house buying business I didn't know any better nor did I know about pre approvals. I just thought I can go look at house's and if I see one I like- apply for a mortgage and see if i get it (both the house and mortgage) yep I was an idiot lol definitely not how it works. Maybe 10 years ago but no today. My advice to you, if you're new to this, just get your feet wet, go to some open house's, or if you want to see a house that doesnt have any open houses, call the realtor selling it and schedule a time to see it. Don't go looking for your own realtor, you just waste their time and then they get like this guy. Rush! rush!, go, come on, gotta get it before it's sold, before you go into a bid war, offer this much, offer that much, if you go this high they'll accept it I know it I just know it, you go this low you might not get it.... They say they're on your side, sadly they're not. This guy is telling you not to buy directly from the seller's realtor. Why not? to be honest it doesn't really matter to you who you use, you're not paying them directly. Their commission is all coming out of the sale, aka, your money lol Technically, if you really think about it, it's the seller whose paying them and not you. Trust me, he is not negotiating any prices with the seller's realtor to save you any money, he's just your messenger, and the guy who submits all the paperwork for you. Here's how it goes come offer time, you throw out a number, he tells the seller's realtor the offer, the sellers realtor comes back and tells your realtor the counter. You mean to tell me you can't do that yourself? You mean to tell me that by doing that he's some how on your side lol come on now, seriously? See the real reason he wants you to get a realtor to represent you because it helps him (or more generally, realtors get money) because he might be that realtor that you use to help you buy a house. Shoot, it's just keeping the realtor business alive and jiving. Because lets face it, nothing really changes for you if you went with the sellers realtor.. nope, not a damn thing. In fact, there may be more bad than good if you go with your own realtor, because your realtor is going to want you to go as high as they can get you to go, both your realtor and the seller's are working on about 6% commission of the sale. And if there is two of them, they have to split it some how. Your realtor may have the lower end of the two, maybe 2%, he's going to want you to go as high as he can to get paid the most. I could go on but rather not. Just keep in mind, realtor's are never there for you, they're there to make money. If you love a house, throw an offer in. And do it on your time, realtors will make you feel rushed because they need to pay their bills wit your sale. The quicker you buy the quicker the get money. Don't jump into something, your realtors will pressure you don't fold. Make sure you get a pre-approval (not a pre-approval application) google the differences, before you go house hunting. And above all Good luck and god bless!

I really needed this! Thank you!

I agree about not falling in love with the house. View it as a business deal because that’s what it is. Business is business and personal is personal. Your emotional feeling about a property is personal. Leave it out of the deal

The high strung salesman tone seems to make things more stressful rather than less stressful.

Thank you very much Matt...... this video cleared out a lot of my misconceptions of buying a house.

I'm just a young strub that just doing a little research, thanks for the info it really helps!!

Been looking for over a year and everything you said I’ve learned through experiencing things first. Great tips!

I'm so blessed to have the VA loan. I'm in the process of a new construction home. Even got the MCC program. 0 closing cost, 0 down, 3.9% interest.

+1.5 speed has entered the chat room. So much better.

Had me laughing 😆. “ that list, I hope you wrote it on pencil” . Great video , thank you for taking your time .

Im in the process now and you make so much sense. I have fell in love with several houses and keep getting crushed by being out bid

My checklist. I will not get murdered in that neighborhood. Roof doesn't leak. Wall (exist) Backyard with a fence around it. 2 car garage. Usable kitchen. Everything else can be fixed/upgraded.

Investors will take away your dream home 90% of the time

I am about to purchase my first home and your points are really insightful. Thank you! You're the mentor that I need!

This video made me feel like I was getting yelled at while I was on time out.

First time owner(still looking) and this is a great video! Also want to add that be sure to check HOA Policies BEFORE making an offer or escrow. We dodged a HUGE bullet of a condo with an awful HOA that fines for the most ridiculous things. Not all real estate agents disclose this before or if you don’t ask.

I fell in love with a house and it broke my heart when there were too many issues. Knob and tube wiring, foundation problems, non permitted structures. Took me a while to get back into a logical mindset and I just had an offer accepted on a house that may not be my “dream home” but works, it’s updated where it matters, cheaper, and has the potential to become my dream home over time.

Great video.... but, can you further clarify rule #9? When you say, "the fallacy that renting, is throwing money away..." and "... that they're buying a home when they should be renting..." Because regardless if someone is moving every two years or not, renting is never an investment...

His speech on falling in love with a house is great love advice lol

I’m glad I found your channel. My husband and I are finally ready to buy our first home, after 11 long painful years of waiting. I am excited but I am also going to be smart about it. Thank you for sharing this information!

I told my lender about the unicorn 🦄 🤦🏻‍♂️

I would say "what you can afford" take that and reduce it even more so you can put more money into your life!! That said, excellent video... :)

Matt Leighton I have to say, your video is awesome. You explained everything so well and everything you said, made sense to me. I've been told a million things by a million different people and have been very confused. You cleared that up for me and put this process into perspective. Thanks for making everything make so much sense.

Looking at houses now, we have 4 items that the house absolutely needs. Anything else, as long as it works and is liveable until we can upgrade, then let it work

Thank you so much I will be patient I'm just getting information for when that time comes I would be more knowledgeable. However I am building towards it and praying it falls on God's time and will. I'm still young.

I’m so ready to buy a house next year, but I want to get all the information first.

Thank you for walking down the steps with me. This will be the first of many videos I will be watching in terms of home buying. We only have a limited time before we have to move. I wish we can take our time, but we can't. This summer is going to be very stressful for me and I'm going to have to exercise all the energy I can to help us find something whether it is buying or renting...These tips helped though. Thank you.

In the process of house hunting, you just leveled out my approach to things. Taking a step back and not putting the cart in front of the horse. Thank you !!!

My god - thank you!!! I have been trying to find agents with integrity to do a quick break down before buying and all they want to do is call and get me going before we are ready.

You're obviously very knowledgeable on the topic, I wish you many sales! Thanks for all of the advice and help.

Years ago when I was married my wife and I bought our first house that was built just for us in a brand new neighborhood. It was the 2nd house on that street complete with a privacy fence and it was a nightmare from day one. They gave us low grade carpet but charged us for high carpet thinking we wouldn't see the difference. The ducts in the AC were too narrow so it was always breaking down. Warranty pays for parts but not labor. They built houses in back of us on a hill so we had no privacy and drainage ended up in our back yard. Property tax was outrages. Will probably never buy a house again.

Thank you for these videos, very informative and helpful!

That was very good. Thank you for the info. I am currently being there for support for my young adult son who is purchasing his first home. It can be frustrating but so exciting at the same time. I feel like we are getting closer to him purchasing a house of his liking.

"Myself...Myself...I'm pointing at myself." 😂😂

So many great solid points, that some of them even made me laugh. I also love the yelling, Matt. It shows confidence and knowledge. My husband and I would love a realtor like you!

Matt has a great point. You definitely don't want to have the listing agent represent you as a buyer. The main purpose of having a buyer’s agent is for their ability to counsel you, protect you, and advise you. If you work with an agent that represents both the buyer and the seller you may get counsel and advice that might not be in your best interest because a listing agent’s loyalty lies with the seller.

Thank you for making this video.. Great advice..

Hey... This sounds like a list to make my realtors job really really easy..........

I really wanted to finish watching this video but all the shouting made me stop. This felt like a Billy Mays TV infomercial. My god.

I loved every minute of this. Thanks for the honesty with #9. Helps a lot more than you’d think

Omg everything he’s said is so true... we started very scared and took our time, but now we are agressive and on our way to buy and close contract!

Thank you Matt for being straight up and honest about the whole deal. We should have people like you and with the same mentality as you who know the job well and will not lead people in a wrong direction in the real estate market. Good job and best of luck to you.

THANK YOU I NEEDED THIS, TOUGH REAL ESTATE LOVE!

Felt like you were having a face to face conversation with me. Read my mind, great advises I thank you a lot for the info 👌👍

Thanks a million Matt! Great video and you successfully pulled me back from one of the mistakes you just listed! Keep up the great work man, I really like your style!

“How can you know the value of your house unless you STEP INSIDE IT” laughs in real property mass appraisal regression analysis

- you saved my entire life with advice number 9!!!! wow, know my why !!!!

Thank you for this video, it has been a great check-in to see we are doing things right! Thank you for being an agent and not seeming salesy like the other agents that make youtube vids, love your energy! DO you have videos on anything like first time homebuyers looking to start investing/looking for deals that can become investments, not just liabilities?

Buying a home is quite the process! Its good to understand some of the common mistakes especially going thru this process right now!

Thank you for this! My mom suggested skipping a lender and buyers representative to save money. I now see that that makes no sense.

You sound like Jesse pinkman from breaking bad

I appreciate the info and I really like the table of contents with times for each discussion point. More videos need a content section

This is great advice. Everything you have said about buying a house is true for me. I am a free time house buyer and no one in my family other than my grandma has bought a house so I have to look for KZfaq for advice . This is so good thanks man.

I found my unicorn after the fourth house viewing :)

Is buying a condo for my first home a good choice if single family homes are out of my budget because im tierd of renting?

I guess it's called expectations, I hope soon we can buy a house but I know there's many steps to gettimg there! Great video!!

This is the realist video I have ever watched. Thank you!

How about buying a house (first time) and renting out the spare room to a friend? Anything i should worry about or do you think it is a good way to help out with the mortgage?

I don't let anyone tell me what I'm "allowed" to buy, telling me i'm not "allowed" to buy something means your competitor just gained a customer that you just lost. The best thing you can do in that situation is tell me I CAN buy it but I need a lot more down, because I'd go work extra hard for something I really want.

GREAT INFO BIG THANKSSSSSSSS MATT. we are buying a single family home the agent is not sending is the pre approval letter copy. We made multiple attempts to ask him he kept putting it off by ignoring or say will do and its been a month now. Can there be hidden fees??? Please help. Thanks!!

A lot of agents simply won't work with another agent, at least in my state. I went to view a property with the seller's agent, and then got myself a buyer's agent. He told me he couldn't work with the seller's agent unless he had permission to do so. I asked the seller's agent, and he politely turned me down. I should note that, while both agents were very nice about it, they were both somewhat baffled that I thought that the buyer and seller would have separate agents. That struck me as odd, since it seems to be very common advice from internet estate agents. I am now working solely with my buyer's agent and not contacting seller's agents at all.

Are we supposed to get prequalified before talking to a mortgage lender ? Or they help us with the process ?

yeah you’re right about renting. hmm..I would like to move every 4 years, probably due to a promotion or job transfer. Maybe renting is the way to go for me.

Really very helpful. Thank you!

Buying a new home is a huge milestone, but it can also be a daunting task for first-time home buyers! Always talk to a professionals to be guided in homebuying.

I'm on Zillow now watching this, and it broke my spirit lol

I'm at a point in my life where I am CONSTANTLY having to defend my choice to rent. In fact, I clicked on this video because I was ready to break-down and buy so I can feel like my life is on track. But I'm moving to a brand new city across the country I have no idea if I'll like, I've never stayed in one place more than 5 years in my adult life, I'm moving to a seller's market with record high home prices, and I don't have any kids. Even knowing all that, I still can't shake the feeling that I should own my own home by now.

What you recommend to do is exactly what Zillow uses to come up with that zestimate minus walking through the house and seeing that the homeowner just had a $200 faucet installed.

Thank you so much! Im in the process of buying my first home and I needed to hear all this!!!

I've moved around every 2 years on the dot. and made 50,000$-100,000$ every time.

Thing is, the Zestimate is a lot more accurate on cheaper properties. It's pretty close to the comps that have sold in our neighborhood recently (110k - 180k).

Great Video, Matt! Definitely crucial advice for all home buyers to follow! Keep up the great content!

Consider myself lucky. Got the first home we fell in love with. Best purchase of my life.

I’m still struggling to see how renting is NOT throwing money away. Can someone clarify his thought process on that?

Golden tips from a wise person. Thank you.

1. Get pre-approved first before looking, know your worth first. 2. House should meet 75% of your criteria, perfect house does not exist. Do slow upgrade with time 3. Listing agent to represent YOU is not a great idea 4. Don't look too much into home ONLINE value (you can never accurately estimate a house without stepping inside it, people might have updated it) 5. Don't expect your house to increase in value (it might or may fall in value depending on the market). House increases your quality of living not anything else. 6. Do not underestimate your expenses (there will be maintenance costs and hidden costs) 7. Don't feel rushed to buy (Don’t put an offer before you are mentally prepared) 8. Don't fall in love with the house (act rationally). Houses will be sold and new ones will come to the market. 9. Don't assume renting is throwing money away. Renting is preferred if you will be leaving there only for a few years.

Great video. I’m looking to purchase my first home and I’m super nervous. But this video has helped me regain focus. Thanks!!

This guy is making so much sense!

Thanks for the truth, in trying to save my sibling from a mistske

Loved the video!

My husband and I have been “window shopping”, we are meeting with a realtor that is showing a foreclosed home and in the past week went from 77,000 to 66,000. We are buying for the future of our family and intend to renovate and bring life back to a home that has potential. We are willing to pay 5 to 10% down. Do we need to work with the bank that owns the home or can we go with a credit union? I would also like to point out that this will be off one income.

Yup im so open mind that i am willong to move 30 min from the city because i cant afford more thn 1500 morgage😭

Been looking for 3 years... Looking for my unicorn... 😂😂

Great tips Matt! Following these will definitely help everyone in avoiding some big mistakes.

I needed to hear this! Thanks!

how bout adding the cost to furnish the home a lot of people never think about the cost of furnishing a home before they buy!

Bank says I can buy a 250k house but I can't afford it lol. 😅😅😅

Great advice and guidance. Thank you and God bless.

Excellent points. Good job