Step 1 : Set your budget
If you look around the web at other “how to buy a house” blogs, you probably won’t see this on there, never mind as #1. It will just say talk to a bank and see how much they will lend you. Well the banks will lend you as much as they can because they make more money the more that they lend you(and so do realtors, so don’t let any realtors try to push higher priced homes your way).
It’s your wallet and your budget, so you need to decide up from what price range you are comfortable with and then go to the bank and say “I want to borrow X amount”. Don’t let the bank dictate your family budget.
When you figure out your budget, write it down with a sharpie so you can see it clearly, stick it somewhere you can see it every day and resolve to stay within that number. Seeing it every day will help you to stay focused on keeping within your budget.
It is so important to do this upfront because once you start looking at houses, you’ll start to get emotionally involved in the process and that’s where your heart begins to take over and good decision making can go out the window.
Continue to Step 2: Hire A Real Estate Agent