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When shopping for a new home, one of your first tasks will be to find out what is available. This is the easiest part of house hunting. Listings can be found almost anywhere. What is hard is actually choosing among all the possible choices…

It is almost impossible not to stumble over home listing.

You can find listings in:

• Newspapers

• Magazines

• On the Internet. Most real estate agencies have an online presence.

• Via multiple listing services (MLS). An MLS is simply a list showing all the homes for sale in a given area, along with additional information about each home, such as the asking price. MLS's can often be found on the Internet. They are also available at real estate offices.

• Through pamphlets published by the various real estate agencies highlighting their current listings. These are often given away at supermarkets and shopping centers.

Once you have compiled a variety of listing, you can quickly get a general idea of how much you should expect to pay for a house in a specific area.

• List of all the homes that are available in your desired location.

• By comparing the prices of these homes, you will arrive at a price range.

• If you want to determine the price range for specific types of homes, such as three bedroom homes with an in ground swimming pool, compare only those homes that meet your criteria.

Be sure to check out what price homes in that area have really been selling at. This information is often available in the local newspaper, from real estate agents, city hall, and on the Internet.

• This information will tell you if the seller is asking a realistic price.

• It will also give you an idea of how much negotiation room you might have.

Determining the general price range for homes in your desired location will help you decide on an offering price.

• For example, if you are looking at a house listed at $200,000, but the general price range for that area is $100,000 – 125,000, it is probably way over priced. So start your bidding low. You can always increase your offer.

• On the other hand, if the home is listed at an amount well below the average you may be looking at a real bargain – or a home with major problems.