Buying Your First House Checklist May 2026

The "Under Contract" sign went up, but the work wasn't over.

Maya walked through the house with a pro who pointed out a fussy water heater and a drafty window. She used this to ask for a small credit at closing. buying your first house checklist

"Okay," she whispered to her cat, Barnaby. "We’re doing this. But we’re doing it right." The "Under Contract" sign went up, but the work wasn't over

When the heavy brass key finally hit her palm, it felt warmer than she expected. "Okay," she whispered to her cat, Barnaby

An hour before closing, she checked that the seller hadn't taken the fridge or left a giant hole in the wall.

Two bedrooms (one for an office), a sturdy roof, and a kitchen that didn't look like a 1970s time capsule.

The rain drummed a steady rhythm against the window of Maya’s cramped, third-floor walk-up—the kind of apartment where the radiator clanked like a ghost in the walls. She clicked "Save" on her spreadsheet, her eyes blurring from hours of scrolling through Zillow.