We are updating our comprehensive first-time home buyer checklist for 2026 and looking for practitioner insights from three types of experts — a buyer's agent, a mortgage loan officer or broker, and a home inspector or contractor — to add real-world depth on the topics first-time buyers consistently struggle with. Quotes will be attributed with name, title, company, and a link to your LinkedIn or professional website. Please answer the 1–2 questions most relevant to your expertise: 1. Buyer’s agents: A common piece of Reddit advice is "tell your realtor your budget, not your preapproval amount" — meaning what you can afford to spend, not what the lender said you can borrow. Does that match how you actually run buyer consultations? Why does this distinction matter (or not)? 2. Buyer’s agents: Since the NAR settlement took effect in August 2024, what are first-time buyers most surprised by when they sign a buyer's agency agreement? What’s negotiable that they don’t realize is negotiable? 3. Loan officers/brokers: Walk us through one or two down payment assistance or first-time buyer programs that are widely available but consistently overlooked. What eligibility threshold do buyers most often misunderstand? 4. Loan officers/brokers: On a typical $350K–$400K purchase in your market, what does an itemized closing cost breakdown look like? We want concrete numbers, not ranges. 5. Home inspectors or contractors: When does a general home inspection stop being enough? Provide a scenario where you'd recommend a specialist and what that specialist would catch that you wouldn’t.