Ninety days out, choose your lender and get fully underwritten. Out-of-state buyers lose more deals to slow financing than to price.
Sixty days out, narrow geography before you narrow houses. Commute, school attendance zones, and tax rate differences between cities matter more than any single floor plan, and they are hard to undo.
Thirty days out, plan a focused two-day trip. With a shortlist prepared in advance, most relocating buyers see enough in two days to write with confidence.
Between visits, video tours do the heavy filtering. I walk homes on camera with the lights on and the closets open so you see what a listing photo hides.
Build in a short-term rental option. Having one lets you buy the right home rather than the available one.
