You are now ready and armed with your pre-qualification or pre-approval to find the home of your dreams. You’re another step closer to getting you home. Now your real estate agent will provide you with as many houses as you wish to see.

However, do you know what kind of house you’re looking for? Do you know what neighborhood you want to live in? What kind of schools will your children attend? Is shopping important to you? Are you looking for a home on the golf course or near the water? Would you be comfortable in a condominium, a townhouse or even a pre-fabricated home? All these questions and more concerning amenities and specific features will be among those your real estate agent will need to know. She will be much more capable of finding the right home for you if she knows as much about your requirements, needs and desires as possible.

To help your real estate agent with this process, you should make three lists - a need list, a do-not-want list and a dream list. Factor in your current housing needs, likes, dislikes and possible future changes in your life and lifestyle, such as more children, less children, parents moving in or out and other major life changing factors.

• Number of bedrooms
• Garage
• Number of bathrooms
• Bath in the master bedroom
• Separate dining room
• Basement

Your do-not-want list may include:

• Small bathrooms
• No garage
• No counter space
• No windows in kitchen/bathroom
• Tiny yard
• Insufficient closet space

For your dream list, write down all of the features you would love to have in your home, which might be:

• Fireplace
• Swimming pool with Jacuzzi
• Greenhouse
• Breakfast nook
• Two stories
• Skylights
• Walk-in closet

You might already know where you want to live. If you don’t, here are few things to help you figure out where you would like to live:

• Look at the surrounding houses in the neighborhood. Are they well kept? Are the yards? The condition of these houses will affect the value of the home you purchase.
• Is the house you’re looking at visually appealing? Explore the lot and home thoroughly. Does it offer sufficient privacy? Will you maintain the ground or hire someone? Do you like the landscaping or would you design your own? When looking into the back yard, are you greeted with the sight of a transformer, gas station, radio broadcasting tower, or bus stop?
• What kind of area is it in? How close are shopping facilities, banks, churches, hospitals, schools, parks and movie cinemas? And, of course you'll want to know what, if any, crime rate is associated with the area. Go to the local police station and ask for records of robberies, break-ins, vandalism, assaults and drug-related problems in the neighborhood. Is crime increasing or decreasing?
• What is the traffic like and how will it affect your commute to and from work? If there is heavy traffic this also produces noise and air pollution.
• Is the home in an area that floods when it rains? How fast does the water drain from the streets and yard? Slope of the land and the soil's ability to absorb water will determine where and how quickly water drains away from the house.

What ever you do, ask all questions that you can think of. Your real estate agent will be pleased to provide you with as much information as possible. Remember, this is most likely the largest purchase you will ever make - ask questions until you are satisfied with the answers.

There are some other things you want to consider in choosing your dream home:

• Don't fall in love with the first house you see. New listings come onto the market all the time. The best deal may still be yet to come. The more houses you see, the more you'll learn about what you want and what each house has to offer. You’ll also discover things about houses that you don’t like.
• Don't decided on a house because you like the interior decorating - a well furnished home isn't always the most structurally sound. Check out the actual structure of the home. Keep in mind, the furnishings will be leaving with the current owner.
• Check the whole house with a fine-tooth comb. Open cabinets, turn on every switch, notice details, move furniture around and away from walls, look in the attic, turn on faucets and flush toilets. Check for water spots on walls and ceilings - you would hate to find out after you've bought the house that the roof is leaking.
• Don't be pressured into making a selection. Make your decision only when you've seen enough to pick one that best suits you.

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