One thing I have discovered in helping people find their home, usually first time home-buyers is that in their search, they don't understand the best way to find a real estate sales professional to help them out. In their effort to find where they want to live, they search the internet, and drive the neighborhoods and find homes they think they might be interested in. Then they call the listing agent (this is the agent that has a listing agreement, or contract, with the seller of the home), and ask to see the home. And they will do this for each of the homes they might be interested in. When I find someone like this, I do my best to educate them on why they should enlist the services of just one realtor.

While it is an excellent idea to drive the neighborhoods and search the internet, there are some other things to consider when you are ready to buy--and knowing some of the steps to take at the right time will save you considerable time--especially in this day and age of having too much to do! :-)

First, see a mortgage broker or lender to find out how much house you can afford according to your situation. Interest rates do fluctuate, however, they are also affected by your credit score, and your debt-to-income ratio. Also, you may qualify for different types of loans--and the interest rates vary according to the type of loan you do get. If you are a veteran, you may qualify for a VA loan. As a first time home buyer, you may also qualify for bond money to help get in to your home. A first time home buyer in this case is considered someone who hasn't owned a home in at least 3 years. There are home and income limitations according to where you live for this program as well.

Second, (not necessarily after you speak with a lender), is the time to find a realtor to help you find your home. Understanding the home-buying process can be overwhelming and while you are focused on "the perfect home" to move in to, an realtor can help you narrow your searches, find out what is important to you, and often has knowledge of new listings that meet your requirements as soon as they become available.

You want to find someone that listens to your requirements and needs in finding your home. This person will be spending a lot of time with you showing you houses, and asking questions about what you like and don't like in certain homes. If you don't feel comfortable with a real estate sales professional, find one that you do feel comfortable with. This is one of the biggest decisions of your life, and you want someone you can trust and feel comfortable with to help you.

Now, let's say you've found 6 homes on the internet and through driving around neighborhoods that you are very interested in and would like to see the inside, and you haven't enlisted the help of just one realtor yet. You call the respective listing agents, and you are at the mercy of their respective schedules. If you are lucky, you will get to see 2, maybe 3 in one day--and that might take all day. Working with just one realtor, this agent can make the phone calls and set up the showings according to YOUR schedule. If these 6 homes are in close proximity, it would only take 2-3 hours to view them all. Also, this realtor can ensure these homes are in your price range and meet your other requirements so that you don't waste your time. They will also make sure these homes are still available--some that have a sign in the yard may be closing in the next few days and the sellers no longer want it shown. When you have picked out one or two favorites, they can provide you with a comparative market analysis that shows what similar homes in the neighborhood have sold for over the past few months.

Once you've found the home you want, your realtor will make sure appointments are made, and keep in contact with your lender, the title company, and the seller's agent to make sure the transaction goes as smoothly as possible. With the contract negotiations, home inspection, appraisal, survey, pest inspection, it can be overwhelming to try doing it all on your own. Why not find a realtor who will work for you?