re: Your first house

What year did you purchase: 1980
how much was it: $76K
how much did you put down: $28K
and how old were you?: 33
Also, would you do things the same way or differently if you had a "redo?":

Interest rates were over double digits, I qualified for a state VA loan at 3.59% on $58k. That made it an excellent decision.

As for what I'd do different when buying a house. Get an excellent real estate agent!!!!!! I've bought and sold a few houses in the last 30 years the worst mistake is trusting an agent. Have a excellent inspector as well. Get insurance that covers problems that may arise AFTER the purchase. I recently bought a 5 year old home and the gas stove needed expensive repairs within two months. The insurance covered that.