We get it: buying a house for the first time is intimidating. Besides determining what it is you want and how much you can pay for it, there’s the task of sifting through listings in hopes of finding your dream home and a seller that’ll pick you from the crowd. The key to making this unpredictable, life-changing search more bearable is preparation. Two recent buyers and an online listing expert have spilled their ten best tips on going into the homebuying process with confidence, weathering the unpredictabilities and coming out of it all with a place to call home.

The question is simple, but it’ll determine your entire hunt. "Start with a list of everything you want in your dream home," says Nate Johnson, chief marketing officer at realtor.com. Think everything from geography to school zones to house size. "Then be diligent figuring out what you need and what you could go without." Samantha Feld, a recent buyer in Oakland, California, knew she needed a move-in ready house she wouldn’t have to renovate. "Be realistic about your needs," she says, "so you know off the bat which properties are worth pursuing."

Be realistic about what you can afford — a number your bank and buyer's agent can help determine — then stick to that price range throughout your search. "It can be tempting to push up your budget once you start looking at homes," says Valerie Stahl, who recently purchased a house with her husband in Upstate New York. "Be steadfast in the boundaries you’ve set for yourself."

A good buyer's agent will be knowledgeable in neighborhood pricing, what’s available on the market and what’s to come — not to mention responsive to your home-buying queries. Use the web to vet agents and don’t be afraid to ask for referrals, says Johnson. "They will be your guide through the experience, so it should be a good fit," he says. Feld echoes the sentiment: "My agent and I really clicked, and she was good at her job, making the experience less stressful."