I’m looking to buy my first house, and I want to seem reasonably intelligent before I sit down with a mortgage broker. If I am interested in purchasing a home in need of a few, minor repairs, can the cost of repairs be included in the home loan? Or, say: for aesthtic purposes, the lawn needs to be sodded…let’s say…to prevent erosion, etcetera. Can that be included in the loan? Or, do both of those instances fall under the category of home equity loans? Ahhh – here’s an additional question: Just for curiosity’s sake, how long must you own a home before you qualify for a home equity loan?