10 Steps to Buying Your Home  Needs Analysis  Preapproval vs. Prequalification  Neighborhood Information  Home Search  Making an Offer  Negotiating to Buy  Vendor Coordination  Pre-close Preparation  Closing  Post-Closing  <<  Previous Next  >>

At this point you will have a good idea of what you can afford and what type of neighborhood you will want to live in. Taking that information into consideration you are ready to embark on your actual home search. If you don't know much about the city that you are moving to you will most likely want to start your search by finding neighborhoods that meet your criteria and then narrowing your search to particular homes in the area.

There are a few ways to go about doing this. You can access local publications highlighting available real estate in the area, you can contact local Neighborhood Associations, visit the local Chamber of Commerce, look on the Internet, and you can even drive through neighborhoods that you feel would meet your needs. Driving around a particular area looking for a home that is for sale is good because you can actually see the house, but it can be very time consuming and very "hit or miss."

Your agent can save you time and money by keeping up-to-date on available properties that possibly meet your criteria and your agent will screen these properties for you. You can eliminate the haphazard searching through papers and the Internet and let the listings come to you through your agent. Then, when you find one that you like, your agent can arrange for you to walk through the property when it is convenient for you.