The first thing you should do before seeing any homes is to get yourself Pre-Approved with a lender. Looking to buy a house without getting pre-approved is like trying to drive somewhere without directions, you may find the place, but you went the long way when you could of saved a lot of time and headaches.

By getting yourself Pre-Approved you will be in a better position than most buyers looking for a home. How do you think this would sound to a seller, Mr. Seller, I love your house and I would like to buy it, ohh by the way I have not talked to a bank/lender yet this should take some time and I don’t even know if I can afford your house, or

Mr. Seller I love your house and I want to buy it, ohh by the way I am already Pre-Approved with Leader XYZ, here is their number, they will tell you I am more than able to purchase at the price I offered. All that needs to be done on my part is inspections on the house and the lender sending out an appraiser and I can close within a month. If you were the seller which one would you choose?

Many buyers will have a bank/lender qualify them, you are actual making yourself a better buyer by saying to the lender that you want an actual Pre-Approval letter stating that you can afford a said amount.