When you know that your finances are in line and you are ready to purchase a home, you want to get on the phone with an agent because it's a competitive market out there. You want to be sure that you don't miss out on a house that you love because you didn't prepare properly. Here are the things to do if you want to be a homeowner soon and if you want to know that you found the best house possible during your search.

Be Straightforward with Your Agent

You have to be straightforward with your agent about the things the house must have, the things you would like but aren't required, and with the qualities that you absolutely don't want. This allows your agent to act quickly with setting up showings and browsing listings, and it prevents both you and the agent from wasting their time when going through houses.

Get Approved in Advance

It's important to be able to act when you find a house that you like, and many homeowners only want approved buyers coming through their properties. Find a mortgage company and get a pre-approval letter in advance, or actually get approved and go through the mortgage application so that you can put an offer on a house with confidence if needed. This is a great way to know what you could need down, what closing costs can be, and more.

Be Aggressive

When you find a home that you think you want it's important to be aggressive. Schedule a follow-up showing right away, and if you are confident the property is what you want, you want to put an offer in. You also may want to put earnest money down with the offer, to show the buyers that you are serious. Talk with your real estate agent about having this applied to the closing costs, or the sale price if the sellers decide that they want to accept your offer.

The market is limited, and you have to be ready to pounce on a property that comes up if you know that it's the property that you want. Real estate agents will be your guide to finding the houses in your area that meet your interests and having the knowledge of properties that are new on the market or that are about to come on. Find an agent, get approved for a home loan, and then start shopping around to find the property that you need.