Online House Hunting

How do you begin buying a house?

what do you have to do to buy a house? do you have to get an agent? can you find a house online? etc. anything that would help would be great. this is my first time buying a house and i would like to know as much as possible.

Public Comments

1. Talk to a Realtor. Or look at the local high school or college community education catalogs, or check the events bulletin board at your local library -- they quite often have seminars on "Buying Your First Home".
2. Get approved for a loan. Most realtors won't even talk to you until you have approval & price range.
3. Figure out how much you can afford per month (search for a mortgage payment calculator on the web), then call bank or mortgage company and say that you want to do a preapproval. Once you figure out your price range then start searching for a home. I think the easiest way is to do a google or yahoo search for "(your city) real estate." A realtor is useful if you don't know the area that you want to live in. If you want to speak to a realtor, then ask the bank or mortgage company and they can usually refer you to one.
4. Talk to a Realtor. Buyers (you) don't pay the Realtor to help you find a home and he or she can give you advise that applies to your area. The sellers of the home that you buy will pay the Realtor's fees at the time of closing. Find a Realtor you feel comfortable with and be loyal to him or her and you will be rewarded with good service.