Am I looking at properties too soon?

[Brandon Leong]

Hello, everyone!

I am starting out in my REI mission and am currently scrolling through the MLS looking for deals and practising how to analyse the numbers of some of the properties that I find. However, I'm worried that when I find a deal, I won't have everything thing in place to actually make a move. Some initial questions that I have are:

• Should I go to a bank and get pre-approved so I know how much I can actually afford? I'm currently looking at places that are less than $100k, so I'm sure I can cover it if needed but is getting pre-approved a good thing to do? Does that make the purchasing process quicker?
• Should I already have a CPA, RE attorney, contractor, property management firm already in contact in case I do find a deal? Or is finding these people afterwards what usually happens?
• What else should I do (apart from due diligence, like educating myself etc.) Should I remember to do before actually making an offer?

Thanks for whatever help comes my way!