Buying Your First Home in 2026: Top 5 Questions to Consider

You’re thinking about buying a home in 2026?! Amazing – I’m stoked for you! Buying a home is a major move, and one that I have supported countless first-time buyers through.

If you’re feeling that fun combo of excitement and nervousness, just know that you’re not alone. I’ve yet to meet a first-time buyer that isn’t at least a little apprehensive – even the most well-prepared ones! Lucky for you, you’ve landed on the blog of an agent who is totally obsessed with first-time buyer education (wink, wink, and I’m here to help you kick off this process feeling confident and informed.

Whether you’ve made it your mission to buy in 2026, or you’re just exploring the possibility, this blog post will provide you with some important questions to consider as you embark on this journey. So buckle in, and let’s get to it!

What are my home-buying goals?

While there are certainly some common home-buying goals, like building equity or putting down roots, there are actually many different reasons folks choose to buy their first home. Before getting pulled into house-hunting logistics, it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself, “what am I hoping to accomplish?” and “why do I want to buy a home?”.

Your “what” and your “why” will pave the way for your entire house-buying process. For instance, those who buy a home with the intention of building a family, may have a very different process than those who buy a home with the intention of having a renovation project. From deciding a budget, to picking the right house, to crafting an offer, it’s important to keep coming back to your goals to make sure you’re buying with intention.

Do I feel ready to settle (for now)?

First-time home buyers often feel so much pressure to get everything perfect. If you’re enthusiastically nodding your head right now and thinking “yea, I am stressed” – don’t worry, it’s super normal.

I’ll give you the same pep talk I give all my first-time buyer clients: this home doesn’t have to be perfect forever, it just has to be perfect for now. No one can know exactly what their future holds, so the most important thing is to find a home you can settle in that meets your current goals and leaves you open to whatever comes next.

So instead of piling on the pressure to find the perfect house, neighborhood, or even the perfect city, remember that this isn’t forever, and bring it back to your “what” and “why” goals. It’s about finding the right home to settle in for the next chapter, not necessarily the rest of your story.

What are my non-negotiables? My nice-to-haves?

We’ve established that your first home doesn’t have to be your forever home, but it should meet the goals you have now. Those goals will clearly impact your non-negotiables as you start the house-hunting process.

I’ll give you a few examples:

Fixer Couple: This couple wants to buy their first home with the goal of taking on a renovation project and creating the home of their dreams. So their non-negotiables might be a certain neighborhood, or a home from a certain era, whereas their nice-to-haves might be things like commute distance or yard size.

Growing Family: This family is growing, so their goal is to quit apartment life, and buy a home that can support a kid (or two!). So their non-negotiables might be home size and layout, and school district, whereas their nice-to-haves might be proximity to family or daycare.

Co-Buying Friends: These friends are tired of paying rent, and their goal is to buy a home together to build equity. So their non-negotiables might be a property in an up-and-coming neighborhood (good investment) with the ability to divide space fairly, and their nice-to-haves might be higher-end finishes or space for a community garden out back.

Three different first-time buyers with three totally different sets of goals, and three totally different non-negotiable and nice-to-have lists. Having a good idea of these ahead of house-hunting will help refine what house will work best for you so you can hold onto the things that matter most, and let go of the things that matter less.

Are my finances in order?

Let me be clear: you don’t have to have your full financial picture before you start the house-buying process. The first step of the process is often to meet with an agent and lender to get a solid idea of what’s financially doable. But, in order to responsibly buy a home, it’s important to have some sort of financial stability to consistently make mortgage payments, as well as enough cushion in case emergencies come up. Exactly how much to budget will very person to person, and is totally dependent on your goals.

Whether you’re completely confident, fairly sure, or totally unclear if your finances are in order, I would recommend getting connected to a lender and agent as soon as possible. It’s never too early to go through the pre-approval process with a trusted lender, and connect with an agent who can help you understand what’s doable for you in the current market. Even if you find you’re not ready now, you’ll have a clear picture of what “ready” looks like, and have something to work towards.

What are my long-term goals?

I know I said your first home doesn’t have to be perfect forever, it just has to be perfect for now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean to disregard your long-term goals. While your long-term goals might not (and shouldn’t be) your number one priority, it’s helpful to consider how your first home could set you up for success in the next chapter, or the one after that.

For example, take our fixer couple. Their current goal is to buy a house as a renovation project. That’s the focus, and that’s what’s going to inform their house-hunt the most. But maybe in the future, they also dream about having a family, and want to leave themselves open to that option. That long-term goal could inform whether they go with the three-bedroom or four-bedroom fixer, or help them select the best neighborhood to invest in to be able to sell at a higher value down the road when it’s time to get a bigger home.

Long-term goals are ever-changing, so it’s important to not get bogged down by the what-ifs in the distant future, but it may be helpful to keep them in the back of your mind to ensure you’re remaining open to whatever comes next.

Final Thoughts

There are so many emotions when it comes to buying your first home – I’m so excited! Wait, am I doing this right? How do I decide on a home? How do I know I am ready?! It can feel natural to want to speed through this process and get to the good stuff, but taking some intentional time to reflect and prepare can make all the difference.

When in doubt, I’m always here to chat things through. Whether you want to talk about goals, better understand the market, or bounce ideas off me, I’m happy to help.

Ready to get started? Send me a message or schedule a complimentary consultation to get the ball rolling.