When you start thinking about buying a house, it’s easy to let your emotions run the show. Before you know it, you’re stalking homes for sale on a home searching tool like HomeScout, Zillow, or Realtor.com.  You begin rearranging your schedule so you can do drive-by viewings, and researching creative financing options that would allow you to buy a house with next to nothing down.

It’s all too easy to land a house you can’t afford, and that mistake can affect your ability to build wealth in the long run. But understanding the steps of the home-buying process empowers you to make smart decisions about your home purchase.

8 Tips for Buying a House:

• Explore homes & neighborhoods online.
• Save for a down payment.
• Establish purchase power with pre-approval.
• Get ready to go house hunting!
• Pick the right real estate agent.
• Submit a solid purchase offer.
• Get a home inspection and appraisal.
• Close on your house.

Buying a house takes time. And no house—not even that perfectly cute bungalow on the corner with the fenced-in backyard—is worth jumping into before you’re ready. How do you know it’s the right time to buy a house? Before you even think about starting the steps of the home-buying process, there are a few things you should do:

• Evaluate your finances. Make sure you have a consistent income and a good chunk of cash for a substantial down payment.  Buying a house before you’re ready can lead to financial disaster.
• Consider the housing market. If you want to make a smart investment on your home purchase, you need to buy a house that'll go up in value. Use an online home searching tool like HomeScout to get a handle on values in your area and their potential. Get unfiltered, accurate, personalized & private access to 100% of homes available.  
• Think about your life stage. It doesn’t make sense to buy a house if you may move next year. The process of buying and selling a house is expensive, so make sure you feel confident you’ll be in that area for the next five to seven years. This is one of the reasons we recommend waiting at least a year after getting married to buy a house.

The decisions you make in the home-buying process can make a difference between a home that's a blessing to your family for years to come and a home that becomes such a financial burden you feel like you can’t breathe. If you think it’s the right time to step into home ownership, it's time to get started!