Buying a home is a big adventure and while it’s exciting, it also brings some stress into your life. If you are ready to start your home search, it is important that you do a little work before you even go out and start looking at homes. Here are few things that you should do before buying a home.

You hear a lot about pre-qualifying for a home and pre-approval for a home. These are two different kettles of fish. Pre-qualifying is a simple process where you contact a lender and they give a quick indication of how much of a loan amount you can handle. While it gives you a good idea of what you can afford, it isn’t set in stone. It is much better to think about getting pre-approved prior to searching for a home.

Pre-approval takes time and usually you incur a small fee for the process. You must meet with a lender and this person takes into account all of your income, all of your monthly expenses and your credit history. From there, the lender determines how much the bank or lending company will lend you for a home. When you start shopping for homes, not only will you know how much you really can spend, sellers typically are more willing to sell to pre-approved buyers because these buyers are less likely to have problems during escrow.

In theory, the whole process of pre-approval begins many months before you meet with a lender. In the six months leading up to buying a home, this is the time to strengthen your credit score and save up money for your down payment, your closing costs and other fees associated with buying a home. Obviously for many buyers, your down payment will come out of the sale of your current home. However, the months prior to buying a home are scrutinized by lenders so don’t open new credit card account or purchase any big ticket items prior to buying. This is a time to look as steady and responsible as possible.

In addition, you need to do some homework before you meet with a real estate agent. This includes providing your pre-approval information as well as the price range in which you are looking. You also need to come up with a list of must-have home features and a list of items you don’t like. When it comes to must-have items, you can include many home features that you want and like, but be sure to be clear about the most important items such as size of the home and location. It’s rare to find a home that is completely perfect and meets 100% of your needs, but there are probably two or three items upon which you are not willing to compromise. Just be realistic and understand that there is no such as thing as the perfect home, but there are lots of great homes to consider.

When it comes to a realtor, choose someone with experience, particularly in the areas in which you really want to live. If you are hoping to buy a house in the scenic Texas Hill Country, consider contacting Nixon Real Estate. For nearly 40 years, the realtors at this Fredericksburg real estate firm have been find Kerrville real estate, Fredericksburg homes for sale as well as San Antonio real estate and homes throughout Hill Country.

Pammy McGrath likes reading real estate blogs. If you are searching for licensed real estate Fredericksburg TX agents, or to discover a Fredericksburg homes for sale, please go to the NixonRealEstate.com site now.