Looking to purchase first home

[Michael Metz]

I currently live in California and am looking at moving to Dulles Virginia area for work. I have been looking at houses on realtor but other than that haven't done much else. I am looking at purchasing my first home but have no idea where to begin or what to do. People keep telling me to figure out how much you qualify for, but I am not sure how to find a decent lender. Is it better to go through a bank or another type of lender? I currently use Bank of America for my banking needs. I was using yelp to try and find a good real estate agent but have not had much luck. Any information you can provide or guidance for a first time homebuyer is greatly appreciated.