I have some wonderful friends who love to look at houses. Notice I did not refer to these very lovely people as prospective buyers, although they may be, because they simply refuse to complete the pre-approval process with a lender. Oh, they've had the pre-qualification conversation, and I know what they make and I have a rough idea of what they can afford, but come on, if you want to buy a house don't risk losing the one you want because you are not sure you can afford it. Get thee to a lender ASAP.
It is really difficult to accomplish a task when the cart is in front of the horse. 
Horses pull with ease, but pushing does not come easy. Buying a house is much easier when you take care of the financial questions first. With pre-approval letter in hand, housing hunting is more fun and less stressful. When you align your dream house with your down payment, and income and mortgage payments fit comfortably within the family budget you are on the way to turning your some day dream into today's reality.
Lending requirements are constantly changing as are interest rates and the variety of loans available. You need an expert in the field to guide you through the maze of paperwork, advise you when it is time to lock in a rate and work with your real estate agent to coordinate the financing of your new home. It is a process, but anything worthwhile takes time and effort if you want to reap the rewards.
Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800
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South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Based on information from the Association of REALTORS®/Multiple Listing as of the initial date of this article/blog publication and /or other sources. Display of MLS data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the MLS. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent.
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I have one of these wonderful friends and I let them look for about a week. Then I told them I wasn't going to schedule anymore wonderful days showing them homes until they brought me a letter from one of the 4 lenders I told them about. Within a few days they had it in hand.
Denise - Open houses are a great place to window shop--and my friends visit many.
Norma - sometimes I feel as if buyers think that because it is a buyers market they don't have get that approval up front. Nice camel.
Mike, I was rather fond of that camel too.
I think you're right about buyers thinking it will remain their market for a long time---and we know it can change on a dime.