They are perfect first pets , though as another says above, retired racers can often suffer separation anxiety, so being alone all day while you are out at work wouldn't be ideal. Mine could manage a few hours by himself but would then become anxious.
They don't need much exercise, mine would have 20-30 minutes walk, but to be honest I think most of the time he'd have happily stayed on the sofa! In fact usually on a walk he'd try to steer towards a local cafe that he loved to sit in and people-watch. He loved to cuddle on the sofa, he really loved cuddles!
When he first arrived he had retired and gone to a dog rescue centre, so when I adopted him he was new to being a pet. It took him probably a few months to settle into that, with household noises, stairs, etc. He hadn't played with toys before but once he got the idea of that he particularly loved soft plushy toys with a squeaker inside.
He had no animal prey drive at all! Was never interested in cats, squirrels, anything like that. But the slightest whiff of cheese or the sound of the toaster going on and he'd be there quick as a flash.
His average day would go something like this:
Wake up, jump onto bed for cuddle.
Toilet and sniff around outside, breakfast.
Long nap all morning.
Lunch snack.
Quick nap.
Walkies.
Long afternoon nap.
Playtime and/or zoomies.
Short walk for toilet and sniff, dinner.
Evening nap with cuddles.
Toilet, pyjamas, bed.
Though he loved being lazy and slept a lot, if I did take him out for longer, on trips or away, he was very well-behaved and happily came along.
So all in all, a perfect easy dog for first-timers. Mine was the love of my life. I lost him a couple of months ago and miss him desperately. When I'm ready for another I'll definitely be going for another rescue greyhound.