In California, anyway, it is perfectly normal to have a house purchase be negotiated between two realtors, one representing the buyer and one being the 'listing agent', the realtor to whom the seller gave the job of selling the house. Typically the retail commission total on a home purchase is six per cent, which is divided between the two agents or their brokers.

I have met a large number of realtors and agents and some of them are money grubbers, and all of them are doing it to make a living. But it is also true I have met some who were brilliant at understanding my needs and working to get me the best they could. I have had agents give up parts of their commission in order to make a deal easier, and provide generaous house-warming gifts to celebrate completing the deal (obviously this was because it made money for them, but the spirit of the gesture was kind).

I have been saved from a bad deal with an unrevealed flooding problem by making friends with a neighbor across the street before buying, so I recommend that especially if the house stands on a separate lot which might have its own peculiar conditions.

In general it is wise to stretch a little buying a little more house than the least you're comfortable spending. This is because, in general, homes tend to appreciate in value over the long term. This can be offset by local market cycles, as described above by M.Ted; so it is a good idea to find out from someone in the market business what the patterns are. Prediction , of couse, is a voodoo business.

In general you should not buy the best house in the whole neighborhood. It is better business to buy a decent but not outstanding one, and then over time improve it as possible, in ways that adds to its value.

Resale value -- the price you can get from selling the house -- is markedly effected by small touching details like warm wooden trim, hand-painted decor, or other quirks whose impact is really more emotional than functional.

The real estate maxim of "Location, location, location" is a rule to keep clearly in mind. A great house which borders on a slum is a risk -- we had a beauty once, on a hill, but there was a low-income neighborhood half-a-mile away and we got broken into four times before we sold and moved.

Find a place you can sing happily in and you'll never regret it!!

One thing I learned is to be very suspicious of shelf paper that looks new -- if it has been laid on top of decades of grime, or rotten shelves. Keep a sharp eye. An inspector might miss such things -- it's not on their standard list. We had rottenshelves and mouseholes covered up this way. We ended up throwing up our hands and tearing out the whole kitchen, and were glad to do so.

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