With an organized house-buying plan, you can minimize a great deal of the stress associated with buying a home. By determining your buying power, your wants and needs, and having an organized search plan, your chances of a stress-free experience are much better.

TIPS TO FIND THE RIGHT HOUSE:

1. Get your finances in order first! It will save you an enormous amount of time, aggravation and headaches. Your credit reports are an ongoing look at how you manage your finances. You must know exactly what your credit reports say about your financial history before you apply for a mortgage, because the reports play an important role in the mortgage approval process and in determining the interest rate and other loan terms that a lender offers you.



2. Determine what your budget up front will keep you from searching for a house that you my fall in love with, but is well beyond you price range. Find out what your comfort range is and stick to it.



3. Get pre-approved for a mortgage to give you a clear idea of how much a lender will approve for you and make your home buying process easier.



4. Get familiar with the different housing types available to narrow your search.



5. Decide on your minimum requirements square footage, number of bedrooms, acreage, as well as other features, and this will determine your needs and wants.



6. Familiarize yourself with the mortgage process.



7. Determine the desired location (schools, work, public transportation, etc.)



8. Don't just buy a home for your present needs. Take into account future considerations.



9. As you are looking, use a scorecard to compare homes. A scorecard is a great tool when it comes time for comparisons and for remembering which home had which features.