TOP 3 COMMON MISTAKES OF FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS

Neglecting to save, save, save! You need a good-sized pile of cash for your down-payment plus about $20,000 cash to cover closing costs and unexpecteds.

Expecting to get all the items on your wish list. Make a list of your musts -- new kitchen, in-ground pool, 3 full baths, 5 bedrooms -- whatever matters to you. Then hone it down to your top three most vital ones. Everything else you want can be added, renovated, fixed or lived with, provided you get something you can afford to own.

Picking a broker because she’s a relative or your friend’s sister. You want to choose a local expert and get three impeccable references from people in the neighborhood who’ve had a successful transaction with her.