“My first year as a Realtor® I found ‘Mary’ or she found me! She came to me ‘pre-qualified’ and ready to find a home. Her price range was in the low 70’s, which by itself isn’t too big a problem in our area if you want a fixer upper. She didn’t.
Long story short, we looked at probably 30 properties or more over a 6 month period. She always found something wrong with the home (well duh look at the price!). I finally managed to find her the house almost of her dreams.
It was one bedroom smaller than she wanted but was in great condition and in a decent area. The owner had already moved away and was anxious to sell. He accepted her offer and low and behold she couldn’t get financing! It seems she had a foreclosure on her record from a divorce! Lesson here, pre-qualifying doesn’t cut it. Get ‘Pre-Approval.’ Then you won’t waste time and money on your own ‘Mary’ like I did.”