I saw a great house listed.... I think I'd like to buy it.... now what do I do?

It seems like such an ordeal to buy a home... doesn't it? There are so many things to consider and so many steps to follow, how will I ever get through it? Well it's really not that hard! A qualified and well trained Real Estate Agent will make this a smooth and easy process for you.

• The very first thing you need to do is to talk to a Mortgage Company. They will assist you in preparing for your purchase in many ways. They will help you determine how much you can spend on a house and afford on a monthly basis. They will also provide you with an estimate of how much money you will need to bring to the closing or settlement. The best time to figure out your budget is before you move, so take this time to work out your finances. This is an important step not to skip! If you do not know who you will use to get your mortgage, you can ask someone you know and trust for a referral or you can ask your Real Estate Agent.

• I would recommend hiring a competent Real Estate Agent that YOU TRUST. An agent who will look out for YOUR best interests! You may want to ask some friends/family who they used and what they liked and didn't like about that agent. You also can look on-line at some blogs or websites to find out information about some agents. I don't recommend just calling an agent off of a sign, or jumping around from agent to agent, from house to house. The reason is, you will not know if this agent is the seller's Uncle Harry who just got his license last week, and has no experience, or if they are just not an agent that will represent you fairly.

• Now that you have an agent, you can talk about what you are looking for, and what you can afford to buy. Your agent is going to represent you in a major purchase, and will need to know all your wants and needs in your home. Always be honest and tell your agent anything they need to know. Don't forget... they are working for you and have a fiduciary duty to work in your best interest.

• The next step is to start driving around and look for the setting and type of home you think would like. If you have not already done this, take notes and relay this information to your agent. Your agent should be able to send you all the homes in your area that are currently available for sale, so that you can check out your options. This can be done by e-mail and saves you a lot of time and effort. Drive past EVERY home that appeals to you in your price range. You can eliminate some this way that will save you precious time in your search process.

• Pick out the best and most desirable homes that are for sale and schedule an appointment to see them. Leave yourself plenty of time to look at each one. Take lots of notes and even some pictures if you are interested in the home, and limit your search to no more then 6 homes each time you go out. (If you are moving from out of state... this may be too difficult) The reason I suggest limiting your search is simply because after you have seen 6 homes, it starts to get too confusing to remember the details of each ~ which is why I suggest taking lots of notes and pictures.

• Take as many trips as are necessary to see the homes that most interest you, keeping notes, pictures, descriptions, etc. of the properties that you liked the best. You will find that each time you look at homes you will narrow down what you really want and need in a home even more.

• Once you've seen enough, you will know it! Most buyers decide after only a few trips that they have seen plenty to make a choice. At this point, you will clearly know which homes are overpriced, and which offer the most for your money. Also, you will feel confident at this point to choose the 2 or 3 that you love the most, and take another look. You can use this trip to be sure you are not missing important details. You can take more notes and outline exactly what you want the seller to include in the sale. If there are specific personal property items in the home that you want the seller to include in the sale, you should make sure your agent knows this. Also you should take this time to look at any appliances that are being included to make sure you know what will be left for you. Take a closer look at the small details of the home. Look inside cabinets if you want, and check out closets, attic areas, anything that you missed or did not see the last time.

• OK, so now you know.... you found the perfect house. Congratulations, it's time to make an offer. Your agent will help you understand all the aspects of the offer.

  So far that wasn't so difficult was it? I will take this to the next step another day to help you see how easy the rest is!