First getting a Pre-Approval Letter from your Lender stating how much you can borrow.
The most common method to determining the value of a home is by completing a comparative market analysis. A comparative market analysis "CMA" is an in-depth evaluation of recently sold “comparable” homes in the past 3-6 months.
A real estate agent is more than just a sales person. A real estate agent may act on your behalf, providing you with advice and guidance when buying or selling a home. Due to the constant changing of the market, the information available on listings is not always 100% accurate.