Buying your first house is certainly exciting, but the process can have a steep learning curve. From saving for a down payment and shopping for a mortgage lender to house-hunting and making your first offer, there are a lot of factors to consider. Podcasts, it turns out, can be a terrific educational resource to prep you for this hectic time.

Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or you need a refresher on how to buy a home, there are some solid real estate podcasts that offer insight and knowledge from a range of trusted sources. If your eyes are weary from reading so many new terms, pressing play on a podcast can get you set up before you reach out to professionals such as a real estate agent, mortgage lender, or attorney. Here are a few you might consider listening to.

“Real Estate Today” provides information to buyers and sellers about the current real estate market, the state of homeownership, and the process of buying and selling a home. Produced by the National Association of Realtors, episodes range from 30 minutes to 75 minutes long and feature interviews with industry experts, listener call-ins, and market condition reports.

Buying a plot of land and building a house on it has become more popular than ever — and there’s a podcast for that, too. If you’re building a house, Halen Homes and Harbor Homes, two Milwaukee-area home-building companies, produce the podcast “This New House,” hosted by award-winning home builder Scott Thistle. 

In 30-minute episodes, Thistle interviews builders, real estate agents, and other experts to discuss best practices, trends, and the process of building a home in 30-minute episodes. Episodes cover a range of topics, from choosing a lot, picking out your home design, financing, to other challenges.

The name says it all. David Sidoni, a real estate expert known as the “How to Buy a Home Guy,” gives his advice on the dos and don’ts of buying your first home. The podcast breaks down buying a place into stages, like how to financially prepare for saving for a down payment, as well as the ins and out of the transaction. He interviews homebuyers themselves, too, like in one recent episode where he chatted with a buyer who put in a low down payment, and now has a mortgage payment that is less than what her monthly rent was. 

Laura Moreno hosts “The First Time Home Buyer Podcast” by HomeFlow, a company focused on providing first-time home buyers with the education and tools to enter the market. Her show is meant to empower first-time homebuyers and simplify what can become a stressful experience. Moreno covers topics like how to choose a real estate agent and how to improve your credit score, and hosts guest experts like Nerdwallet analysts, financial coaches, and veterans of the credit reporting industry.

“Mortgage Mom Radio,” hosted by Debbie Marcoux of Movement Mortgage, is a mortgage and real estate advice show. Her goal is to educate and train all those who are navigating the homebuying and mortgage lending worlds. She encourages anyone to call with questions — some callers have the opportunity to be featured as a guest on her podcast. 
Marcoux dives into on the nitty gritty of securing a mortgage, and clearly differentiates between all the loan programs out there. She goes long on interest rates, and gives a bit of a crash course on real estate buzz words.