The road to homeownership is paved with plenty of opportunities for mistakes—many of which could cost you your mortgage and tank your home purchase.

But if you’ve never bought a home before, you may not be aware of those potential mistakes.

So, the question is, what are the most important mistakes to avoid during the homebuying process?

A recent article from The Mortgage Reports outlined major (and costly!) mistakes buyers need to avoid when buying a home, including:

• Maxing out credit cards. Increasing the balances on your credit cards can impact your debt-to-income ratio, which plays a major role in determining whether you’re approved for a mortgage—and, if so, how much. Credit card debt can also impact your credit score (especially if you come close to maxing out your limits), which can influence the interest rate on your mortgage—and cost you tens of thousands of dollars over the course of the loan.
• Switching jobs. In order to qualify as a solid candidate for a mortgage, lenders want to see a stable job history and reliable income. Switching jobs or careers as you’re going through the homebuying process can make it a lot harder (if not impossible) to secure financing—so if you’re thinking about moving to a new company (or switching careers entirely!), wait until after you’ve successfully purchased your home.
• Shopping for homes before getting pre-approved for a mortgage. The last thing you want to do is invest your time and energy into finding a home—and fall in love with a home you can’t afford. You don’t know how much financing you have available until you go through the preapproval process—so make sure to go through that process before you start looking for homes.