Hi everyone,
We are looking to put together a helpful blog on our site to encourage interaction and community. Some of our upcoming articles will be aimed at starting the smart home journey, and we would love to get your input.
Knowing what you do now, what is one thing you wish you had known when you first started, or something you feel is really worth others knowing? We would also love to hear about any specific topics you feel would be good for us to cover.
Thank you.
I wished people knew how to search before posting 
Yes, that one has a few interesting topics that could work for beginners. It will be interesting to see what other suggestions come through.
This one is the most important that you'll regret when it is too late:
The original thread has now been set to wiki, so feel free to add anything you miss 
PS: Don't forget to update the counter 
I wish that I knew just how much this “hobby” was going for to cost me over the years in sensors and such! In the end, HA has saved me thousands of dollars in repairs and replacement costs due to water leak detection alone. My system shuts off a water main valve to the house if any leak sensor alerts. It’s extreme, but it’s my reaction to an incident many years ago. Also, temp sensors inside my refrigerator and freezers have provided notice and allowed the food to be saved.
I get the feeling that the things I needed to know when I started were quite different from the things I would need to know if I started now.
One core pearl of wisdom, though, then and now: set up Home Assistant first, then buy only devices that you know will work with it. The other way round is painful and expensive.