First,
you should write down why you are looking for
a new home. For example, are you currently renting
and would like to have a home where you can begin
building equity? Maybe you recently married and
have outgrown your current residence. Or, maybe
you have just gotten a promotion, which requires
you to move to a new city. These factors will
all have a bearing on how you approach your home
search.
Second,
establish a time frame that you would like to
stay within for buying your home. Depending on
your reasons for wanting a new home and the current
state of the market in the area you are looking
to buy, you should be able to come up with a rough
guideline, which you can finalize at a later time.
Last,
you most likely have a mental picture of what
you would like your house to look like and what
features it should have. It's very important to
write these ideas down to avoid any ambiguity
later in your home search. You should make at
least two lists: one should be a list describing
your dream home and the other should list the
features of the home that are an absolute must
have in order to buy it. In a perfect world, your
new home would fulfill both lists 100 percent.
It is more likely that you will end up blending
the two lists into a schedule of prioritized items
as you progress through the buying process. This
is a natural and evolutionary process as you get
clearer about what you want and what is available.