Find An Agent or Lender First?

[Giovanna Leyva]

Hi! I am starting out my real estate journey and I am planning on house hacking my first investment. I've been doing my homework and now I am finally ready to begin the home buying process. I currently am in a lease until October (5 months from now). My hope is to find a deal before my lease is over so that I can move in before it is up. I understand the process can take a while between getting pre-approved and actually finding a home. My question is - should I find an agent or a lender first? I worry that if I find a lender first, then I am afraid my pre-approval will expire before I am able to find a good agent and have him/her find a good deal in time. I understand I have 45 days to have my credit pulled unlimited and have it count as one inquiry - therefore do I utilize this time to shop rates AND agents? That way by the 45th day, I can lock in a rate as well as an agent then worry about my pre-approval expiring from this point on rather than earlier in the process?

Hope this made sense and I thank you in advance for your help!