The home buying process can be either a smooth sail to your promised land or the Poseidon Adventure. The route it takes depends on the team of professionals you enlist to help you navigate your course.

Your dream team ideally will contain 5-7 housing professionals: A real estate agent, an attorney, a mortgage lender, a home inspector, a pest inspector, possibly a lead paint inspector and an insurance agent. With these key people in place, you should have your needs covered.

I recommend you recruit a Realtor to begin building out your team. I suggest you begin by asking for referrals. Have any of your family, friends or coworkers recently purchased a home? Did they use an agent? Were they happy with the service they received? I recommend you look specifically for a Realtor, and not simply a real estate agent. Agents are required to pass the state licensing exam, operate within the state laws and pay the state license fees. Realtors do all that and more: they must adhere to their own code of ethics, over and above the state requirements.

Once you have the name of a Realtor, I suggest you set up a preliminary meeting.

During this meeting, you will learn more about the agent and the home buying process. Hopefully, after the meeting, you will be able to determine whether this individual is one whom you can trust to help you achieve your home ownership dreams.

Some factors that you may want to consider: how long has the Realtor been in business? A more experienced Realtor will be unflappable if an issue arises during the process. Issues always arise; it comes down to getting them solved, and getting you moved!

Will the Realtor provide you with references? Is the Realtor trained to represent you as a Buyer's Agent? If so, the agent should have earned one of the following educational designations: 'ABR' - Accredited Buyer Representative or 'CBR' - Certified Buyer Representative. How will the agent assist you in the process? How will the agent be paid for her services? Typically, the seller will pay the agent from the proceeds of the sale, so you will not incur out of pocket expenses for your Agency representation.

Before you even begin looking at properties, a seasoned Realtor will suggest that you speak with a mortgage lender. The Realtors know that savvy homeowners will require a prequalification or preapproval letter from a lender before they accept any offer and remove their property from the open market. So, it pays to get this out of the way before you start your search. An added benefit is that the mortgage representative has access to the most recent rates and closing costs, and can translate this to a monthly housing cost for you. I suggest you ask the Realtor for recommendations of reputable, experienced mortgage representatives who offers competitive rates.

In order for any documents regarding real estate to be legally binding in Massachusetts, they must be in writing. Thus, it is a good idea to have an attorney selected in advance to help manage and explain the contracts. It is important that you select an attorney who specializes in real estate. Your lender will be using an attorney to handle the closing. You may choose to use this same attorney to help you with the Offer to Purchase Real Estate and the Purchase and Sales Agreement. Again, your Realtor can make a recommendation based on the attorneys that are approved by your lender.

If you use a Buyer's Agent (and I recommend that you do), the agent can give you the names of home inspectors once you identify a property. Agents who represent the seller can not recommend home inspectors to you. You may also want to ask for recommendations from friends who have recently purchased homes.

These inspectors must be members of licensed. Be sure you know how they charge (by the job or the hour?) and when and how you can expect to receive their written report. You may want the inspector to place radon canisters in the property to test for the presence of radon as well. It is an additional cost, but one well spent.

It is a good idea to schedule a pest inspection during the time the home inspection is in progress. You should hire a licensed pest inspector. Again, referrals are the way to go. Usually, if termites occur within a year of the inspection, the company will treat your property free of charge. .

If you are concerned about the presence of lead based paints (you are purchasing a home built before 1978, you have a child under 6, or you are purchasing rental property), you should enlist the services of a licensed lead inspector.

Before the closing, the lender will require that you produce an insurance binder, so you will need to connect with an insurance agent. Again, ask for referrals. If you are purchasing a condominium, I recommend you use the company that carries the master insurance policy. That company will know where the condominium policy coverage ends and where your personal policy needs to begin coverage. For example, in the event of a fire, who must replace the inside walls: the unit owner or the condominium association?

If you assemble this team of experienced professionals based on referrals from family, friends and your Realtor, you will be well on your way to making home ownership a reality!