If you have already begun to “house-hunt,” by now you’ve probably started doing some of the leg¬work necessary to get the home-buying process rolling. You are becoming familiar with credit scores, the different types of real estate agents available to you, how to steer clear of serious prob¬lems such as predatory lending, and which mort¬gage may be a good fit for your particular needs.

Now comes the fun part: finding the right home. The good news is that the house hunt need not be stressful or prolonged. According to the National Association of REALTORS 2004 Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers, first-time buyers searched an average of nine weeks, and toured nine homes in that home-search period. The typical buyer who has already owned a home searched for seven weeks and walked through ten homes before mak-ing their purchase.