Now that you've found a home or homes that you're interested in, it's time to go through the process of actually making an offer and securing financing to buy that home.If the details intimidate you or you feel unsure about handling everything yourself, hire a real estate professional to negotiate and handle many of your home-buying details. Whether you handle the transaction yourself or leave it to a professional, it pays to know about what's going on, so review the sections below to make sure this important financial transaction is managed as efficiently and professionally as possible.

Prioritization
Determine about what you will and won't be flexible. You need to know how you will bargain if the seller won't be out of the home when you want or if he refuses to repaint at your request.

Purchase agreement
You or your real estate agent will need to write a purchase agreement when you're prepared to make an offer. In addition to the amount of your offer, be sure to stipulate what items will convey (i.e., appliances, lighting fixtures, window treatments, etc.), any necessary repairs or replacements and other contingencies. Include in your purchase agreement the right to withdraw your offer if the home inspection report isn't satisfactory to you for any reason. If possible, consult your real estate attorney before making an offer. Make sure your offer is in writing. Your attorney can help make sure the offer meets other legal requirements.

Professional home inspection
It's smart to obtain a professional inspection before purchasing any home. Even homes that look perfect to the untrained eye can have serious flaws in the foundation, roof, ceilings, chimneys and so on. If you purchase the home without an inspection, you will be responsible for 100% of the repairs or replacements.

Home financing
Consider the different types of loans available and determine the best one for you, based on how low your payments need to be, how long you expect to be in the home and your risk tolerance.

Title
If you buy a home with a faulty title, you could lose everything. So it's critical to establish that the title being conveyed to you is all it seems to be. You may want to obtain the protection of owner's title insurance.

Settlement
Before you go to the closing table, you need to take care of the following details:

• Decide how you want to take title to the house
• Apply for homeowners insurance on your new home
• Get an exact accounting of settlement costs and make sure you have the money and necessary documents at closing
• Select a date for the walk-through
• Contact the utility companies about establishing service in your name