If you don't come into the transaction with your own (buyer's) agent, all discussions you have with the seller's real estate agent should be treated as adversarial. That is, do not let that agent know what you're thinking, what your negotiating limits are, etc. It tips the balance in favor of the seller. Never, ever let an agent give you verbal counter-offers from the seller to consider. Once again, this favors the seller. If they do, tell them you won't even think about it unless it's in writing.
Find out about how old all major systems are, and factor that into your potential offer. Make sure your offer includes home inspection and appraisal contingency clauses. Interview property inspectors and pick one that seems competent, is licensed, and is insured. Find out how much it'll cost to repair/replace each item that the inspector flags. Make a request to the seller to address some/all of these flagged items to remove the home inspection contingency. Make sure they fix things using licensed contractor(s).
Look over the neighborhood, at different times of the day, and different days of the week to get a sense about how the neighborhood will be to live in. Talk to one or more of the neighbors.
Good luck on this and I hope all goes well!
