I see this is an older post, but I'm replying anyway.
If this is your first guitar, then....everything is probably going to sound "wrong" for a while. I picked up my first guitar just last summer. It was frustrating at first. But, I had a lot of time & determination....
Making sure it's in tune is of first importance! You should be able to strum all strings 'open' (no fingers on fretboard) and have it sound like a chord.
After that, once you have fingers on frets in the shape of the chord, pick each string one at a time to make sure it's properly fretted — it should ring out clear & clean and not sound muffled or dead. Be sure to use the tips of fingers & be sure to only touch the string your fretting. If each string sounds good individually, then when you strum the entire chord (assuming guitar is in tune) the chord should sound "right" too.
I'd suggest getting a teacher, friend whom plays, or watch a few videos online to learn the right way to hold the guitar and your body/arm/hand/etc from the beginning. Otherwise you may develop some bad habits which might be difficult to break later...and could hinder further progress. (*I found things really progressed faster for me after I started using guitar strap and standing instead of sitting with guitar in my lap. Turned out I was using my left hand to hold the guitar up too much & it was messing up my fingering/fretting ability.)
Just stay at it, use good from & technique, let your calluses build up, lots of repetition, start slowly and correct (instead of fast & sloppy), lots of repetition, and things will come along quicker than you know. And, oh yeah....did I mention to include lots of repetition in your practice?
Good luck!