When Should I Contact an Agent?

[Yele Omo]

I am preparing to buy a multifamily home to owner occupy in the Salt Lake City area. Eighteen months ago, I had a sub-par credit score & very little savings. I realized that I wanted more for myself, so I worked hard to save aggressively and paid off all my debt last year. My credit score has been rising steadily, and I have about enough saved to get into a home using VA financing.

I want to wait a few months and get my score higher, and continue to save beyond what I'll need to get into the property. I also think I should read more RE and investing books. 

My question is: When should I call an agent and start looking at properties in earnest? I am already doing preliminary work of driving around checking out neighborhoods, searching online listings, etc.  I'm still a few months out from when I will feel comfortable buying. Will an agent in a busy market like Salt Lake think I'm wasting their time if I contact them now?

Thanks in advance to everyone who offers their advice on this.

[Travis Gibson]

Maybe the best way to find out is to talk to some agents. I think a good agent would be willing to spend some time getting to know you and what you are looking for. If you are up front from the start about your situation and let the agent know you might be a few months from being ready to purchase at least you can start building a report with the agent and find somebody you will enjoy working with. And who knows? They mind come across the perfect deal for you in the meantime and maybe you will find something that works earlier than you thought possible.