Avoiding many of the common pitfalls that are associated with buying a home in 2013 can save you thousands. A great number of home buyers concentrate primarily on the home buying process, not giving sufficient attention to the problems that can prove costly. Prior to purchasing a home, familiarize yourself with the potential stumbling blocks to ensure that you’re geared up and ready to tackle the home buying process.

Home flippers purchase homes which are in need of repair, repair them, and then re-sell them as fast as possible. The objective of course is to generate a profit. Flipped homes often appear shiny and new on the surface, but it's what lies under the surface that many home buyers should fear.  Few home buyers have faith in flippers due to horror stories of sub-par repairs and the cover-up of serious problems with the home. Home inspection is a must, because there could be underlying problems an unsuspecting home buyer may be able to spot right away.

It is not at all uncommon for buyers purchase brand new homes only to discover built in damage once they have taken up residence within the home. In many locations a certificate of occupancy is issued upon a completed inspection of the home. However, this only says that the home is in livable condition and in no way guarantees that everything works, or even that all of the work has actually been completed. This is why a builder's warranty is so important.