Buying a home can seem like a frightening thing to do. Whether it's your first home or your fifth, so much is at stake: your savings, your credit rating, and you're financial freedom. It's difficult to find the courage to sign on the dotted line even when you want that home very, very badly.

How do you determine that the purchase of a home makes sense to you? What is the easiest way to examine the whole picture from emotions to economics? Separate your whims from true needs. Prepare a plan for your real estate venture, research effectively, choose wisely, finance appropriately and survive the whole procedure relaxed and unstressed..

SIX STEPS FOR SUCCESS

1. Establish your needs and your wants.

2. Determine how much you can afford.

3. Get pre-approved by a lender.

4. Find a good real estate agent to help you.

5. Find a home that meets your needs.

6. Make an offer to buy a home.

ONE: ESTABLISH YOUR NEEDS AND YOUR WANTS.

Begin your search for your home by making a careful assessment of the kind of home you need and want. Write it down. Take the time to be as specific as you can about your particular requirements.

TWO: DETERMINE HOW MUCH YOU CAN AFFORD.

Set up a budget for yourself. Decide how much you can afford to invest for your monthly house payment. Be realistic. Most lenders suggest that your payments be no more than 32 percent of your total monthly income.

THREE: GET PRE-APPROVED BY A LENDER.

Save yourself time and heartache by meeting with a lender before you start searching for a home. A lender can let you know what specific mortgage programs would be best for you. He or she can also help you understand what it takes to qualify for the mortgage that you want. In the approval process, all of your documentation is completed and submitted to an underwriter. The pre-approval that you will receive is an actual mortgage commitment from a lender - your guarantee of mortgage approval. For more information about the Pre-Approval process, contact your banker or a mortgage broker. Your realtor can provide you with mortgage specialist contacts.

FOUR: FIND A GOOD REAL ESTATE AGENT TO HELP YOU.

You can learn a lot about an agent by just letting him/her talk to you about how he/she helps her buyers. Within a few minutes, you will probably be able to determine if his/her style is in line with yours. Ask as many questions as you can up front. Finding a good agent will save you huge amounts of time and effort.

FIVE: FIND A HOME THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS.

Five tips for successful house hunting:

1. Keep an organized record of all your research data. Write down comments about the homes that you see. Keep track of your likes and dislikes.
   
2. Make sure that your agent is aware of your time schedule and your expectations. Do you like to look at one or two homes in a session? Four? Eight? Discuss all of this with your agent.
3. Tell your agent about any homes that perk your interest and those you'd like to know more about. Include those homes you discover as you explore the area yourself or those you see advertised in the newspaper.
4. If you want to spend time driving around looking at homes for yourself, ask your agent for a list of drive-by homes, which you can consider first from the outside. Your agent can than make appointments to show you the interior of those that appeal to you.
5. Express your likes and dislikes to your agent after you see a home. Honest communication is essential. Some buyers are shy or hesitant to tell an agent what they really think of a house. They think that the agent may take it personally. Remember the homes do not belong to the agent! You must be straightforward about your likes and dislikes to enable the agent to do the best job for you.

Your real estate agent can help you make an offer to buy the home that you select. By looking at homes selling in the area and the length of time it takes to sell, together with your realtors help, you will get a good feeling for what has value and what doesn't.

If you want a hassle-FREE Realtor®, be sure to call one of our HomeLife Real Estate Professionals TODAY!