buying or selling a home is a big deal. likely it is the largest investment that the buyer and the seller have. it can also be very emotional, you already live or plan on living in this HOME.

one of the many benefits of using a real estate agent is that they are slightly removed from the transaction. they are representing your best interests but through a filter that will also not upset the other side of the transaction.

never the less, there are many things that can go wrong in the purchase or sale of a property, such as:

inspection - the home can have too many issues that a buyer would like fixed and the seller might not be willing to take care of them all. the lender could also have an issue if the inspection list is too extensive.
appraisal - appraisal can come in lower than the amount seller owes on a property or lower than they wish to sell it for. buyer's lender would ask the borrower to come up with the difference to cover their loan to value.
finance issues - financial pictures change from application to closing. a buyer could have something big happen like losing their job or as little as applying for a store credit card. be sure to run everything through your lender, so that there are no surprises.
title issues - unexpected liens or encumbrances can come up during the closing process through title that could ruin a transaction.
contingency - your home the sale is contingent upon selling in order to close doesn't sell.

we hope that these scenarios are helpful for you to keep in mind when buying and selling a property. keep your eye on the prize and work through issues that come up.