On purchasing a home for the first time

Our family is currently beginning the process of buying a home for the first time and I'm full of questions.

Royalty free image from Unsplash

I am not very picky about details of the home. My main concern is that it has enough space, is clean, and has been well-maintained. There are obviously certain things I'm hoping for though. For instance:

• A yard that's already fenced in would be very helpful, since we have a dog and 10 thousand small children that will need to use the yard immediately when we move.
• I would like to live in North Fargo, ND - preferably somewhat close to downtown. I spent a lot of time there growing up and I've always loved that part of Fargo.
• I could do without carpet.

That's really about it. I'm easy to please. I am pretty confident about spotting major issues but I don't know what I don't know.

If you've purchased a home, what advice would you give a first-time home-buyer?