The first step to buying a home is getting pre-approved. By getting pre-approved you will know exactly what price range of a home to search for and when negotiating with a seller it will allow you to be in a better position to negotiate.

Make sure you check with several real estate lenders to compare all loan costs. Compare interest rates, points and all other related mortgage fees. You should request a written estimate from a lender so that you won’t have any surprises.

Once you are ready to apply for a real estate loan then you will need to provide documents to complete your loan application. Lenders will usually ask for bank statements, tax returns and pay stubs. Also, Lenders will want to know about your job, income, assets and liabilities. They will also pull your credit report so you should know in advance what your credit report shows.

After you get pre-approved for a particular amount then you will of course still need to decide how much to borrow. Remember, you will have to add homeowners insurance, property tax and private mortgage insurance (PMI) to the mortgage payment.

Here are some additional links for Buyers.