Buying a home can be both exciting and challenging. If you have ever purchased a home and had doubts about whether it was the right house or not, don't fret. You're not alone. At some point, most buyers experience some form of doubt during the home buying transaction. The most important detail is staying well-informed throughout the process.

Step 1 - What am I looking for?
The first step on your venture is to ask yourself what you want. Write down what you want, like, need and why, in order of priority. Unless you have an endless supply of cash, buying a home is often a series of compromises.

Step 2 - Choosing a Location
Let a qualified Real Estate professional who knows the ins and outs of the surrounding towns help you narrow down your choices as he or she shares with you the current market trends and neighborhood advantages.

Once you have decided on a few neighborhoods, compare what you get in one town vs. another.

Step 3 - Mortgage Qualification and Pre-Approval
Get pre-approved for a mortgage. Just five years ago, everyone told you to get pre-qualified. Today, a top Real Estate professional wouldn't even look at an offer unless the potential buyer was pre-approved. The reason is simple. Pre-qualified means someone has told the seller that you can afford a home and then a piece of paper is written out to confirm this. Meanwhile being pre-approved means a person has an approved mortgage subject to an appraisal of the property. Another reason the industry has changed to pre-approval is the time it takes to get pre-approved. Five years ago, it could have taken you up to 45 days to get pre-approved. Today is can be done in under an hour, in many cases.

The pre-approval process accomplishes two main objectives. It lets you know how much of a house you can afford and what your monthly payments would be. It also lets the seller know that you can afford to buy their home, providing you with leverage during the negotiating process.

Step 4 - Looking for a Home
Preview a number of houses online to get an idea of what your dollar can buy in a particular neighborhood. This will also help you save time by cutting out homes that don't meet your specifications. In order to do a true comparison, make sure you are looking at comparable homes. Is the property tax approximately the same? Are both the houses renovated? Do they both have the same amount of bedrooms and bathrooms? Are both houses located on the same or similar streets? Does either house have any encumbrances?

Once you have narrowed down your options, it's time for a look inside.

Step 5 - Touring Homes
Look at the home and keep an open mind. Look at what it could be. If it doesn't have that master bath but has the room to put one in and is priced at a level where you could put one in. Today some mortgages allow for upgrades remodeling and additions. It could become the perfect home. An experienced Real Estate Professional will have the know how to help you out in this regard.

Step 6 - Making an Offer
Get an updated market analysis. In today's Real Estate market, even one with information a few weeks old can be outdated. When doing a market analysis on the Internet, make sure the information is up to date. Also, keep in mind that the inside of the house - whether or not it is renovated etc. - could make a major difference in the price.

Step 7 - Negotiating the Offer
This is a very difficult and trying time since both parties have totally different goals. In most cases it is better to have a third party, such as a Real Estate professional, negotiate the offer and seek the win - win.

If you have any interaction with the homeowner, don't give out any information about your move, your current housing status, financial status or your feelings about their property - positive or negative. This could hurt you in future negotiations.

You may want to review the Finding a Buyer. It may give you some additional leverage.

Step 8 - After the Offer is Accepted
After your offer is accepted you will then need to set up, coordinate and interpret various inspections: insect, radon, building quality, title, etc. You will also need to arrange for homeowners insurance and finalize the mortgage. This is a major step in the Real Estate process. There are many potential problems with a house that can be discovered during this process like a roof leak, radon gas, insect damage, foundation problem, wall cracks etc. These problems happen all the time. The difference between closing on your dream house and starting the process all over again is the negotiations that happen between you and the seller. Since you still have different goals and since the seller has a separate agenda, you may need to have a partner or agent.

You also have the option of a walk through. This is your last chance to make sure that all of the items that you have agreed upon were completed correctly and to your satisfaction. When a true win-win has been established this is an enjoyable process. Sometimes you will even find additional items were left for you - a workbench in basement or the swings in the back yard. On the other hand, if a seller feels like it wasn't a win - win you could see plants uprooted, and doorknobs changed.

Step 9 - The Close
Bringing it all together means staying on top of all of the people involved in the closing process. Making sure that they did their job, correctly, and on time. If the mortgage, title work, homeowners insurance and other items that may be necessary under local and state laws are not completed and brought to the closing table, the closing may not happen on time. Depending on what the contract says, this could result in further action. You could lose your rights to the house or/and incur financial penalties.

Step 10 - Making the House your Home
Once you have closed and before you move in you may want to do certain things. Arrange for an alarm system, turn on the electricity, subscribe to the local paper, clean or replace the carpet, arrange for lawn services etc. This could also be a good time to make some needed renovations.

Take your time in educating yourself, having your questions answered and making the decision that's the best move for you.