We lucked out with our first (and only, so far) house.
Things I would check in the future, apart from the obvious such as real estate taxes, school district etc.
1) Google maps - when looking at the aerial view in satellite mode, how close are you to major highways? Are there train tracks nearby? Is there an airport/airfield nearby, and if so, will you have planes flying over your house?
2) Orientation. Our house faces north, which is perfect for us, as our daytime living areas are in the back of the house, and get sunlight all winter long, which saves a lot on heating bills.
3) A good home inspection, obviously. We bought our house from my in-laws, and I knew going into it that there were issues that needed fixing, but if it had been another seller, those were things I would have wanted fixed up front, before the sale (or a decrease in the house price so that we could fix it ourselves).
4) Check the traffic. There's a reason realtors have open houses on Sundays. I would pick a weekday morning and/or evening and go park in the street to see what kind of thru traffic you get. We have a few streets in our neighborhood that are used at rush hour by people who are bypassing the traffic lights on the main road. I've seen people move in and then complain on FB about speeders, etc.
5) If you can, talk to the neighbors. When our neighbors moved out, we talked to the new buyers, and were able to tell them that the house had been perfectly maintained, and which roofing company had done the roof (because I plan on using the same company in a few years).
6) If you have the DIY Network, check out the Holmes Buy it Right show. He brings up a lot of issues that people generally don't notice, some minor, some major. It can be as simple as having an electrical switch within reach of the shower, or foundation issues due to water damage. Well worth a look if you can record and skip the commercials, etc.