Top 5 tips for first-time homebuyers before shopping for a home. Get pre-qualified. Looking for a home without getting pre-qualified by a lender is like going shopping with no money. When you go to a lender to get pre-qualified they will examine all of your debts, income, retirement savings and other assets and assess how much you can spend for a mortgage. Pre-qualifying for a mortgage is a very important step to home ownership (the most important in fact) and should not be circumvented. Many homebuyers just want to start looking for a home with no actual idea of what they (8 comments)