3-6 months out
Pull your own credit reports and dispute any errors now — fixes take weeks. Avoid opening new credit lines or financing furniture and cars. Start assembling your paper trail: two years of W-2s or tax returns, recent pay stubs, and two months of statements for every account.
Set a savings target that covers your down payment plus 2-4% of the purchase price for closing costs, plus a cushion you refuse to spend.
1-3 months out
Get pre-approved and learn your real monthly payment — principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and any HOA dues. Interview agents; choose one who works your target neighborhoods weekly, not occasionally.
If a relative is gifting part of your down payment, tell your loan officer early. Gift funds are welcome on most programs but need a short paper trail done correctly.
House hunting and offer
Tour with your structural checklist: roof age, furnace and water heater age, panel type, signs of water in the basement or attic. Cosmetics distract; systems cost money.
When you offer, keep your inspection contingency. Waiving it to compete is how first purchases become expensive lessons.
Under contract to closing
Schedule the inspection immediately and attend it. Keep your finances frozen: no new accounts, no large unexplained deposits, no job changes without a call to your loan officer first.
Buy a homeowners insurance policy a couple of weeks before closing — your lender needs it to finalize the file. Do the final walk-through the day before or morning of closing.
