For most Americans, a home is the single largest financial transaction of their lives and for many, the experience is unnecessarily frustrating and stressful.

There are three ways to approach the home buying process and how you get started can have a huge influence on how you feel when it is over.

Lender First: If you are working with a quality lender, like the Boles Group lending professionals at Bay Equity Home Loans in Gilbert, your loan officer will consult with you about your short and long-term goals, your financial situation, your housing needs and how all of that fits into the current real estate market. This conversation is the starting point in setting your budget parameters.

Once all relevant information has been gathered and analyzed, your Boles Group loan officer will let you know the price range for which you qualify and will present you with the financing options available. Once you know your loan options and budget, if needed, your loan officer also can match you with a quality realtor.

When you meet with your realtor for the first time you can discuss your housing wants and needs in the context of a realistic budget. When you find the house of your dreams your realtor can submit a rock solid, prequalified offer right there on the spot.

Realtor First: If you are working with a quality realtor, he or she may require you to get prequalified before moving forward. Your realtor may recommend their preferred lending partner, but you are always free to use the lender of your choice.

If you work with a realtor who does not require a prequalification before starting the shopping process, a lot of time can be wasted looking at and getting excited about houses that you simply cannot afford.

What’s worse, there’s a good chance this will make the houses in your price range seem a bit disappointing in comparison.

Since most sellers won’t accept an offer that isn’t prequalified, any delay between finding your dream home and making an offer (like waiting for a prequal) could result in losing your dream home to another buyer.

Shopping First: Browsing Zillow or Realtor.com just to see what’s out there can be fun and certainly doesn't need to involve a real estate professional. When it’s time to shop for real, starting the process online is the biggest mistake you can make.

Online listings are the picked-over clearance rack of homes for sale.

Not only are they often inaccurate and outdated, but anytime you request to learn more about a home, your contact information is sold to realtors and lenders and then resold to lead qualifiers and then resold to whoever is willing to pay for it and since you agreed to the terms and conditions when you submitted your request, being on the National Do Not Call registry won’t prevent those calls.

If you or someone you know is considering a home purchase in the next 12 months, a single call to the Boles Group at Bay Equity Home Loans in Gilbert is the best place to start.

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Bay Equity Home Loans – Boles Group is a team of lending professionals located in Gilbert, Arizona and licensed to originate home loans for purchase or refinance in nine states (AZ, CA, CO, ID, MN, NM, NV, OR, WA). Boles Group lending professionals have the knowledge and experience to create solutions where other lenders create problems. The team prides itself on responsive, accurate communication and is highly regarded by clients and business associates alike.