How Do You Buy Your First Home in Massachusetts or New Hampshire?

Start with the feeling, not the photos. Picture coming home after a long day. Is it warm and cozy? Bright and open? Private and quiet? Lively, with neighbors out front? Pick two or three words and keep them in your phone. Every house you tour gets checked against those words.

Then write two short lists before you tour.

• Must-haves are the things you won't bend on, like the number of bedrooms, a yard for the dog or a school district.
• Nice-to-haves are the extras you'd like but can live without.

Then drive to work from the house at the hour you'd really go. Twenty extra minutes each way adds up fast.

Here's the simple test. The right house checks every must-have, and the payment lets you sleep at night. If a house is perfect but the payment keeps you up, it isn't the right one yet.

Your first few showings teach you a lot. You'll see what your money buys in Haverhill MA compared to Methuen MA or Salem NH. Look at homes with bad photos too. Dark pictures can hide a great house.

Before you tour with a Realtor, you'll sign a short written agreement. It says what your Realtor does for you and how they're paid. The pay is open to talk about, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Nobody can promise you where prices or rates will go. So skip the guessing and ask yourself three questions.

• Does the monthly payment fit your budget with room to spare?
• Do you plan to stay at least a few years?
• Will you still have savings after you move in, for the things that break?

If you can say yes to all three, it may be a good time for you, whatever the headlines say. If not, that's okay. A few months of saving or paying down a card can change your whole picture.

No. That number stops more first-time buyers than anything else, and it isn't a rule.

A loan backed by the federal government, called an FHA loan, lets you put down as little as 3.5 percent, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Fannie Mae's HomeReady loan lets some buyers put down 3 percent if their income is under the limit for their area.

When you put down less than 20 percent, you'll pay a monthly fee for extra insurance that protects the lender. On a regular loan, it doesn't last forever. You can ask to drop it once you've paid the loan down to 80 percent of what the home was worth when you bought it. It ends on its own at 78 percent if you're up to date on payments, according to the CFPB. FHA loans have their own version, so ask your lender how long yours lasts.

More than the down payment. You'll also pay fees to the people who help the sale happen. Plan for:

• The home inspection, paid before closing
• The appraisal, when the lender checks what the home is worth
• Your real estate attorney
• Title insurance, which protects you if an old ownership problem shows up
• Your lender's fees
• A few months of property taxes and homeowners insurance paid up front
• The fee the county charges to record your deed
• Moving costs

Your lender gives you a cost sheet early on. For most loans, you'll get the final one at least three business days before closing, according to the CFPB. Compare the two.

Sometimes a seller agrees to pay part of your closing costs. We ask when it makes sense for your offer.

Listen to that feeling. Ask your lender to show you the full monthly payment, with taxes and insurance, not just the loan.

Then look one town over. Many buyers who start in Andover MA find a house they love in North Andover MA, Haverhill MA or Salem NH, at a payment they feel good about.

A house you're proud of at a payment you're comfortable with feels a lot better than a stretch you worry about every month.

Yes, more than most people know.

In Massachusetts, MassHousing is a state agency that helps eligible first-time buyers with loans and down payment money. You apply through a lender that works with MassHousing. The Massachusetts Housing Partnership runs its own ONE Mortgage program too.

Programs change, so check what's open today. This spring, Massachusetts offered up to $25,000 in down payment help at 0 percent interest, according to the state. Buyers had to lock in their rate by July 2, 2026, to get it. The state says MassHousing's regular first-time buyer help is still there.

In New Hampshire, NH Housing offers first-time buyer loans and down payment help through lenders it works with. Income and price limits apply.

Ask your lender about every program you might qualify for. One of them could change the math on your first home.

Three things: your credit, your monthly bills and your income.

Credit. Each loan has its own lowest score. Ask your lender for the number. You can often raise your score in a few months. Pay down card balances, fix mistakes on your credit reports, don't open new cards, and keep old ones open.

Monthly bills. The lender adds up what you pay each month for things like student loans, your car and credit cards, plus the new house payment. Then they compare it to what you earn before taxes.

Income. Bring pay stubs, W-2s and tax returns. If you work for yourself, plan on two years of tax returns.

Once the lender checks your papers, they'll give you a pre-approval. That's a letter that says how much you can borrow. Get it before you start touring, because sellers want to see it with your offer.

Two goals guide every offer. Don't overpay, and don't buy the wrong house.

The price the seller is asking is a starting point. A house that just came on the market and is priced well may need a strong offer. A house that's been for sale a while, or had a price drop, is a different story. We look at accurate similar sales together before you pick your number.

Your offer can include protections that let you back out if something goes wrong, like the inspection or your loan. In Massachusetts, a seller can't ask you to give up your home inspection to win the house. That's been the law since October 15, 2025. In New Hampshire you can still give it up, though you lose a way out if you find a problem.

Pick your top price and your must-haves before the right house shows up. Then you're ready when it does.

Every house has a list. Go to the inspection. I'll walk it with you, and we'll sort what the inspector finds into three groups:

• Safety and structure: the foundation, active leaks, a roof at the end of its life, or electrical or heating problems. These are worth talking to the seller about.
• Coming up soon: a water heater near the end of its life or a worn deck. These go in your budget.
• Normal wear: small cosmetic things. No action needed.

Then you decide. You can ask for repairs, a credit or a lower price. You can take the house as it is. Or you can walk away if your contract allows it.

You'll sit down with your attorney and sign the deed, the mortgage and the final cost sheet. Before you wire any money, call your attorney's office at a number you already trust and confirm the wire instructions. Scammers send fake ones. Then you get the keys.

Selling a place to buy your first house? Read buying and selling at the same time.