Never buy old houses or any house where people lived before. There are chances that the house is haunted. I have experienced.
Look for new house from new builders.

This is my advice.

I live in Twin city , I am first time buyer. My realtor is re max result. Houses are very expensive here in twin city. It's been 5-6 months we are looking

NepaliBudho, and what is that chance? 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%?
Summer_Storm, sort out your priority first. For most people, school district is the highest priority. Generally ratings of 8+ on all elementary, middle school and high school are better. Good schools are not only for kids but for your own safety as good people tend to live nearby. Never ever buy in ghetto neighborhood just because you can save few thousand bucks.
Next is location and transportation. Try to buy as close to your job. You will save lots of time, stress & money. Believe me it is from my experience. Third, look for neighors/house facing (south facing is good as you will get sun all day long)/park etc

If you can, hold it for some time. There are rumors in the market that recession is inevitable by 2019

Thanks all for the feedback.

Nepali budho Dai: Who knows Newly built home is above the ground where somebody was murdered in cold blood and buried. ( Wild imagination)

Nepali Salil: what areas in twin cities are you considering and what lender did you use for pre-qualifier? I agree, it is too expensive and I keep wondering why it is not listed in any of the top housing market lists.

SajhaMitra: Thanks for your beautiful insights, I will surely Keep in mind. Best School districts in the twin cities area are too hot to touch unless one has a deep pocket which I clearly don't. But I am looking for better schools.

Sajha Keto : Kaile Recession sakincha ra kaile Recession aaudai cha re bhanera kurda kurda budo hune bhaiyo. Recession ko halla last year dekhi suni rako ho khai bhau aakha aagadi bade ko badei cha.

In general, I know the difference and I can google easily but if anyone has and can share experience/suggestions/pro/cons from the perspective of Nepali immigrant in the USA with responsibilities back home would be a great help towards first time home buyers like myself.

a) Townhouse Vs Single Family
b) 30 Yrs vs 15 Yrs and
c) FHA vs Conventional Loan

my 0.2 cents -
focus on location, location, and location. this goes long way in the future - easy to sell as well.
If you don't mind working once in a while during weekends for small fixes, 10-15 years old is OK, But personally I choose to get new build. But do not go much much older unless you are prepared. Also new houses are build much more energy efficient these days so that is a saving on your monthly house bills. My house bill is same as my 2 bedrooms apartment.
Also, not sure how it is in MN, But in Texas all desi and most Asian communities look for kick back (usually from 2.0-2.75 %) from 3% commission from your realtor when you buy new house and 1.5 - 2.0 % on old house. Some people get more than 3% when realtor is preferred for that community. In my case i got 2.75% on new house.
Try local union banks also for mortgage. Sometimes (if new) builders preferred lender is a great option as they give you easily few grands towards upgrades and\or closing costs.
In my case I went with mortgage brokers and she was able to find me 2.625% back in 2012/2013 for 15 years.

There are many other things that we have to consider and I don't think I can easily type here. However I am talking merely on my experience in Texas on DFW area and MN might be different.

Summer_strom we live in Plymouth and houses are very expensive because of school. Maple Grove is cheaperbut school is not good. I have kids so I prefer Plymouth because of school. I went though remax results and they had their lender who work with is. Please email me @ salil123@gmail.com if you have any questions

I guess lakeville, shakopee area, inver grove, New hope, Chaska area are preety good.

definitely check Redfin app on the phone too, it's not as nerve-wracking to talk to agents in that app. plus if you want a more experienced realtor you can always change, no questions asked and no hard feelings.

they will not force you to buy a house, and you can keep looking and looking until you find the house you like the most.