When you made the decision to buy your first home or purchase your second home, and you need to have a mortgage to finance your dream, the very first step is not to start searching for a home. The very first step should be contacting your mortgage broker, or banker, to find out what you could afford and get pre-approved for a mortgage.

If you look for a home first, you may find out that you cannot afford the home of your dreams. Look within your budget and means.

Make sure you are getting a pre-approval and not a pre-qualification. The pre-approval will take longer but when it comes down to making an offer on a house a pre-approval has much better cloud than a pre-qualification. When you are pre-approved all you have to do is find your dream house.