Shopping for a mortgage is the first step toward owning a home and perhaps the most daunting, especially if you are not prepared.

Some 6 million new and existing homes are sold each year. There's no shortage of housing options, but with so many choices the challenge becomes finding the property which best meets your needs.

One of the hot topics facing the world of real estate right now is the issue of agency. Some would have you believe that it really doesn't affect you, the buyer, and that nothing much has changed. But they are wrong.

“When you analyze those successful home buyers who have the experience to purchase the home they want for thousands of dollars below a seller’s asking price, some common denominators emerge.”