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Find a realtor with a GRI or an ABR after his/her name. GRI = 90 hour coursework in all aspects of real estate sales. ABR = buyer specialist with an emphasis on answering buyer/first-timer questions.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why you wouldn't want to escrow your taxes. They won't over-charge you, and it's just one less thing to worry about. Even if you pay it in a lump annually or bi-annually, you'll still need to set it aside every month if you don't want a financial kick to the balls every once in a while. That said, I pay my insurance on my own, but it's pretty durn cheap.

The two major stress moments for most buyers are 1) offer time and 2) inspection time. If you're looking at distressed property, be prepared to find a lot wrong and sellers that aren't particularly willing to fix anything. Get estimates and make sure you can afford fix-up before you decide on a house.

Also, always have a cash reserve of at least a few thousand dollars in case something goes wrong. If you only have, say, $25k in the bank to buy a house, don't put down more than $23k after closing costs, because something will probably come up in the first year (for me, it was freezing pipes, but there are always surprises). If this isn't a possiblility, buy a home warranty (or ask the seller to buy you one). It's about $300, and it covers all major appliances including furnace in case anything breaks in the first year.