WATCH: 5 Things First-Time Homebuyers Wish They Knew

We sat down with the mortgage brokers at Next Door Lending to get the advice they give every first-time buyer — on PMI, down payment assistance, underwriting land mines, seller concessions and gift funds.Written byEdited by otherPublished Sep 24, 2026👀 WATCH: 5 Things First-Time Homebuyers Wish They Knew Buying your first home comes with a learning curve nobody warns you about — the difference between the "rules" you've heard and how mortgages actually work in practice. We sat down with loan officers from Next Door Lending to unpack five things first-time buyers often get wrong, from how scary PMI really is to who can actually help cover your closing costs. Watch the video below, or jump to any section that speaks to where you are in the process.Bella Angelos contributed graphic design support to this project. Some of these graphics were created using HTML code written with the assistance of AI, and all have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.