Get funding lined up first and get a pre-approval letter, which you can include with your offer when you find your first purchase.

Not everyone will want to get involved in real estate or understand or approve.  

Have you been pre-approved with a lender yet?

I spoke to a buyer's agent who informed me that I need to have a pre-approval letter prior to any showings; and obviously, prior to any serious consideration via contract. 

I talked to him about what I do and about the agreement I want him to approve and I asked for his email in order to send the agreement he said...

@Uju Anyanwu - Do you have any posted requirements / qualifications for application approval, such as a minimum credit score?

Get pre-approved by a lender BEFORE evening contacting an agent.

This is the normal legwork I do at the beginning of every project - find out the requirements AND the process for approval. 

Asking for a friend ;) You just refinanced your first home and got approved for 350k HELOC.

This is exactly why I have all my sellers force buyers to do inspections right in the beginning - because it really sucks to go all the way through the approval process and have the buyer walk away after over a condition issue that could have been found and negotiated earlier, and now its just too late and everyone involved wasted months of their time for nothing.