I believe in hiring a buyer's agent first. But you don't have to if you prefer to go to open houses and look through a mumbo jumbo of homes online. Mostly, an agent will help guide you through the process in buying a home.  Be carefull to ask the agent who he/she is representing when you begin working with them.   A Buyers agent can send you listings directly fromMLS that fit your parameters.  Agents often know of new listings coming up that are not yet on the market.  There is a difference between a Real Estate agent and a REALTOR.  There is no reason you can not find a REALTOR to work with you in your buying process.  Get Educated as you can from seminars to talking to others parties involved in real estate from Real Estate Attournys to Mortgage Professionals. 

Find a Home to Buy

Buying a home can be an overwhelming process and emotionally draining. Finding the right home is not always an easy task. I advise buyers to look at a maximum of 7 homes at a time because any more than that will make a buyer's head spin.  My proven rule is every home you see rank it from 1-10 so that when your on your 4th house you want have to think about any of them but the highest ranked house.  Keeps you on track and focused.  Most buyers conduct a lot of research online before ever stepping foot in a home. Buyers spend an average of 6 to 8 weeks, according to the National Association of REALTORS, trying to figure out where they want to live. But once the neighborhood is selected, most buyers end up buying a home after 2 or 3 home tours.  Make sure your agent gets you all the information on the utilities that are provided to your future home

Get a Loan

It's necessary to have a mortgage broker or bank that you have talked to prior to looking at homes.  This way you manage your expectations of payments and homes that meet your needs financially.  It is smart to get loan preapproval in advance. This way you know for certain how much home to buy and what your closing cost are.  Many sellers won't look at an offer if the seller doesn't have assurance that the buyer can get a loan.  Popular first-time buyer loans are FHA loans because the minimum down payment requirement is much less than a conventional loan.  You will have to get Home Owners Insurance as well, please shop around or talk to does your car insurance.  Make sure you talk to your mortgage professional about differnt types of loans and the cost associated with them.

Negotiate the Offer

Buyers sometimes make the mistake of comparing the sales price of a home to other homes they have seen. It's a mistake to compare sales prices among homes for sale. That's because sellers can ask any price they want. It doesn't mean the home will sell at that price.   An agent can provide comparable sales and examine the pending sales. Comparable sales are similar type homes in the same condition and location that have sold within the past 3 months. Pending sales will become the comparable sales by the time your home close

Home Inspection

In South Carolina, a home inspection is conducted after buyers make a purchase offer. In other states, a home inspection is a contract contingency. A contract contingency means a buyer has the right to cancel the contract.  Sellers are generally not required to make repairs if problems are discovered during a home inspection but it becomes 100% negotiatable and is the burdon of the buyer to request any and all repairs in a limited window of time.   

What to tell my agent

When my clients write an offer, I often advise them to keep their top sales price private. I truly do not want to know how high they will go. My job, when I am a buyer's agent, is to present and negotiate the offer I have in my hand. With blinders on. If I know the buyer will pay more, that knowledge could possibly weaken my conviction. Not that I would willingly violate a fiduciary relationship with a buyer, but I am human, just like anybody else