What should I tell my agent before we start looking?

Tell your agent your real budget, including how much you have for a down payment and closing costs, your must-haves versus nice-to-haves, and your actual timeline, since vague or overly broad criteria at the start usually leads to touring homes that waste everyone's time. Being upfront about deal-breakers, like a specific commute limit or school zone, narrows the search immediately rather than after several rounds of viewings. Mentioning financing status, including whether you are pre-approved yet, also shapes how aggressively you can move once you find the right home. Joel Boss asks for all of this on the very first call.