Chapter 5. Shop for Your Home

You've laid the groundwork—taken a good, hard look at your finances, gotten preapproved for a mortgage, written a wish list for things you want in your new home, and started putting together your real estate team. Now, you're ready to look at some houses.

In this chapter, you'll learn the art of touring houses and how to reconcile your wish list with what's on the market. You'll find homes for sale from both traditional sources (real estate classified ads and working with a real estate agent) and nontraditional sources (websites that let you sort listings by your preferences). And you'll scour the market for bargains, like homes that are owner-offered, bank-offered, and in foreclosures or at auction. Read on to search for your new home and keep your priorities in mind, even as you face a bewildering choice of listings.