First time home buyers can make the task of finding the right home for sale a lot less complicated by having an awareness of the steps in the home buying process. Once you get to know these easy steps, you will be able to make the best new home purchase to suit your needs and budget. Valuation of the home or determining what the home is worth from your perspective is one of the most important steps in the home buying process.

In the book, "Home Buying for Dummies", authors Eric Tyson and Raymond Brown specified that the true value of the home does not only consist of the price. Since value means different things to different people, there is a need for the individual home buyer to be able to identify what are the most important elements that they would like their new home to have. What the true value of your new home is based on what it is worth to you and the benefits that you will get from making the investment.

The first step in the valuation process involves reviewing the actual dollar cost of the home, compared to other homes in the neighborhood. You need to review MN MLS listings and find out what the seller paid for the home, if possible. Even though the amount the seller paid for the home may be much higher or lower than the asking price, it helps to give you a baseline amount to work with. Of course, you will need to factor in how long ago the seller purchased the home, because any longer than two to three years may not give you an accurate estimate at all.

The second thing a home buyer must find out is if there are any repairs that need immediate attention and how much it will cost. The cost of repairing the home may have been factored into the asking price. If it was not, a home buyer needs to be aware of what they may have to spend for when they buy that home for sale.

The third step in determining the value of the home is to project what it may be worth in three years, ten years or twenty years. Is the home located in a brand new subdivision or an historic part of town? What is the average appreciation value of the home year to year in that particular neighborhood? The appreciation value may be a powerful 'pull factor' for a particular property, especially if you are a first time homebuyer in a buyer's market.

When deciding which among the many Minnesota homes for sale to purchase, try to look at the different properties available in the various neighborhoods to see what best suits your needs and your budget. Finding out what the true value of the home that you are interested in goes far beyond the price of purchase. There is more to a buying a new home that just what simply meets the eye. Find out more about the current homes for sale in the different neighborhoods and what benefits you can get as a first time home buyer.