Before considering shopping for properties your first step should be to shop for a Realtor.  You should shop for real estate agent the way you would shop for a good attorney, accountant, mechanic, plumber, doctor, financial advisor, or other professional.

          First you can the Internet. Today you can have so much more information, directly from home, than buyers from the past.  The web is really a good place to start.  There are lots of directories that list agents, plus search engines, too.  Compare the web sites and prefer Realtors who advertise themselves, not property. In this way you will have a pretty good idea you are getting a "buyer’s" agent instead of a listing agent. If an agent has lots of information on their site and seems genuinely concerned about informing homebuyers that is probably a better choice than someone whose web site only talks about how good they are.

          Second tool is referrals. Maybe a friend, co-worker, or family member recently bought a house in the same community and had a good experience. However, if they bought a house twenty miles from where you want to move, it may not be a good idea to use the same Realtor. You want an agent who knows the area in detail and has already previewed many of the homes available for sale in that community.  Community knowledge should be important to you because you are not just buying a house.  You are buying a home in a local neighborhood in a specific community.

          Another way is to talk to professionals from real estate related professions and ask their opinion. They probably know realtors or loan officers that you should avoid, and they will be able to recommend Realtors from the area they work in.