The only thing more exciting than shopping for your first house is the day you move into it. In your eagerness to get to that day, there are a bunch of opportunities to botch the shopping. Here are some #facepalm moments and the house-hunting tips you'll need to avoid them.

"I Saw the House Online. It's Perfect — Let's Make an Offer Before It's Gone!"

Online photos are a fun sneak peek — but that should be all. Make sure that you actually go to the open house in order to tour the house, along with the yard, and the neighbourhood – it’s worth it!

"I'll Rely on an Online Home-Value Estimator."

Google “home-value estimator" and you'll get pages of tools that promise you a free estimate of home value. Plug the address into the tool, some algorithms do their thing, and in seconds you know what a house is worth. However, home valuation is both art and science. There are nuances within house and market that an online estimator just can't see. What if the seller made major renovations last year? Or what if houses rarely turn over in the neighbourhood, so there's not enough data to work with online? Your agent knows current market conditions and the inventory of homes in the market -- all of which help you make a nuanced offer. Use these fun tools as a guide, but don't take them to the bank.

"I Don't Have Kids, So I Don't Have to Worry About School Districts."

Yeah . . . nope! School district matters regardless of your parenting status. Whether or not you have kids, a future buyer might. And neighbourhoods with good school districts tend to maintain value and appreciate faster than those in other areas. People want to live near good schools, which leads to rising home values and better neighbourhood amenities.

"If a House Doesn't Have Everything on My List, I'm Not Looking At It."

Definitely make your list. Your list is important. But use it as a starting point to help you prioritize. Because buyers who can prioritize have the most success. They turn that list into must-haves and nice-to-haves — and they also consider which of their must-haves could turn into will-dos. For example, you can switch laminate for quartz, but you can't move a country home next door to your city office. Skip the listings that are in the wrong location, but why not check out the ones with the wrong countertops? Maybe the one thing you'd enjoy more than quartz counters are quartz counters you picked out yourself.