of waiting to find a house we liked in the area we wanted.  That put us far from church, and far from the schools they were zoned for, which made life very, very inconvenient.  So, first, find out the area you want to live.  Then be patient until you find a house in that area.  Don't settle for something else.  When you find the house you want in the area you want get it.  You may have to spend a little more, but the convenience is worth it...trust me.  What people like in a house varies, but these are the things we did not think about as first time home buyers:

1.  Is there adequate space for storage (clothes, decorations, food storage, etc.)

2. Does the kitchen have a big enough pantry for the food your family will eat?

3.  Is there a transition space to drop back packs and shoes from the garage to the house?

4.  If all the bedrooms are upstairs, is the laundry room upstairs?  Hauling clothes up and down the stairs bites.

5. How far is the house from work? From school?  From church?  You can't get that commuting time back.

6.  Is it zoned for good schools?  Even if you homeschool, you will have an easier time re-selling it if it is zoned for good schools.

7. Is there a place where the kids can play with their toys?  If not, they will be all over the house.

This time around, we found the area we liked, and then looked at a bunch of houses in the area we liked, choosing one that was still at the top end of our range, but that meets all our needs and most of our wants and that we get instant equity in by putting some work into it (painting, flooring, stuff I can do myself).  I think we will be much happier with this purchase.  Closing on Friday and starting work on it Saturday.