- Buying a house for the looks. When you look at a house, real estate agents dress the house up for you. They add just the right colors, plants and furniture. Try and look at the house for what it is. Think of the square footage, the location and the condition.

- You didn’t research the neighborhood. This doesn’t mean just checking to see that there are good schools and a low crime rate in the area. I mean seeing if your potential neighbors have loud dogs or care for their yard. It means seeing if there’s a parking problem or traffic issues.

- Buying the best house on the block. You see, when you get the best house (most expensive), the value of this house will often times decrease over time. That’s because the value of your home is directly connected to the value of the surrounding properties. So when these other nearby homes sell for less, the value of your house can only go in one direction, down.