The most important and perhaps stressful part of relocating to a new community is finding a place to stay. Relocating families first have to decide whether to buy or rent a home, apartment or townhouse. If you have decided to rent you have the option of finding  short-term furnished  or standard unfurnished rentals. If you have decided to buy a home, then you must decide whether you want to live in a house, townhouse, condominium or other single-family residence.

It's a very good idea to familiarize yourself with the whole home buying process from beginning to end. Once you know what is involved, you must then decide whether or not you want to work with a real estate buyers agent. 

Do you really need an agent? What is the difference between a "traditional" and an "exclusive" buyers agent? A short course in "Buyer Agency" doesn't hurt. There is a certain level of service which every agent should be able to provide. What are the duties of a buyer's agent? There is a checklist of questions you should ask every potential real estate agent. However, don't assume anything. There are common mistakes that home buyers often make and you want to try and avoid these.