First time buyer - timeline for when to contact broker?

[Sarah K.]

Hi everyone. I'm in the learning/saving/planning stages of buying my first property. I'm planning to use an FHA loan to buy a duplex/triplex in St. Louis (South City/Tower Grove area) and live in one of the units. I expect I'll have enough saved in the next six months or so. I'm wondering when would be a good time to start looking for a broker? I want to be sure to have my ducks in a row when something great comes my way, but I also don't want to waste a broker's time when this deal is still a little ways off. Any thoughts or advice on this (or other timeline tips for me at this stage)? Thanks in advance, helpful people of BP!