As you are preparing to make a trip to your new location in order to search for the home you want to buy, in my experience there are some important things to consider (I alluded to some of this in a previous post).

Mentally, you really need to be ready to make an offer on a house and buy, unless you know, going in, that you have time and do not need to buy right away, or because you will be making a second trip to look. Making the decision to buy is often pretty stressful, even when buying in an area you know. But then you generally have plenty of time to look and can make the decision to put in an offer when you are ready. But when you are relocating you often don't have the luxury of time. So prepare yourself you make that offer and know that is the goal you are to accomplish on your trip.

People often ask, how many houses should I see? That's a tough question, and there is no real right or wrong answer - it depends on you and how you buy, but also on the available inventory (there may only be a few homes in your price range, or hundreds). Some people can see 5 or 6 homes and know they have found the right thing and can make the decision. Others need to see more homes before they can decide. One thing to be aware, and cautious of, if the "kid in the candy store" approach. This is especially common in the current market, at least here in California because there are so many homes on the market. Some buyers are taking the approach that they want to see everything before they decide. This can take forever, and you can risk losing a house you really like while you are out looking at everything else. PLus if your house hunting trip has a time limit, you simly will NOT be able to see everything. I know of people who have looked at 50 or more houses in 3 days, trying to decide. Personally I think this is overkill - after a while they will all start to seem alike, and how can you really decide among that many homes? But if this is what you feel you need to do, then you should do it. I would, however, talk about this with the Realtor in advance so everyone is on the same page.

I mentioned using a digital camera to help keep track of homes. You might also want to take your  video camera if your enjoy that. The nice thing about a digital camera is you can easily delete pictures as you go along, eliminating houses as you do. But either will work well and help you keep track of what you have seen.  This an be especially helpful if you return home to ponder the decision, then make you offer from a distance.

If you know you need to make an offer while away, make sure you take a checkbook  to pay for the downpayment with your offer (and verify that you have sufficient funds to cover the check that you write). Take a copy of your pre-approval letter and make sure you put your mortgage officer on alert that you may need to reach him/her while traveling with any questions or to modify the pre-approval letter (check that you have all the ncessary contact information with you).