If you’re like most home buyers, you have two primary considerations when you start looking for a home. First, you want a home that perfectly fits your needs and second, you want to get that home for the lowest possible price.

To make that dream happen, negotiating skills are important, but so is getting clear about your needs versus your wants, before you ever submit an offer.

Make sure you know what you want. That may seem simple, but many home buyers don’t have specifics in mind before they go out shopping. In fact, there are two competing homes trying to get your attention: the one that meets your needs and the one that fulfills your desires. Unfortunately, you can’t always find both in the same place.

When you look at homes, you’ll find that you fall in love with one or another for entirely different reasons. Then you’ll start debating whether it is better to buy the 4-bedroom home with room for your growing family, or the one that has a huge eat-in kitchen that’s perfect for entertaining friends. Make sure you don’t end up being seduced into the house you love for the wrong reasons, only to regret it later.

As a rule, don’t shop with stars in your eyes: satisfy your needs first. If you’re lucky you’ll find a home that also fulfills your desires. Mainly, make sure you understand the difference before you get carried away.

Once you have a clear list of needs, enjoy a worry free transaction by being alert for these traps:

Avoid Bidding Blind. What price should you offer? Is the seller’s price too high, or is it a really great deal? If you fail to research the market in order to understand what comparable homes are going for, you may be “bidding blind.” Without this knowledge of market value, you might end up bidding way too much (and overpaying for the property out of ignorance or desperation), or too little (missing out on an excellent value.)

Unclear Title. Make sure early on that you will own your new home free and clear of any problems by having a title search done. The last thing you want to discover in the home stretch of your purchase is that there are encumbrances on the property, such as tax liens, undisclosed owners, easements, leases or other unresolved issues.

Inaccurate Survey. As part of your offer, make sure you request an updated property survey which clearly marks the property boundaries. If the survey is not current, you might discover too late that there are structural changes that aren’t shown (such as neighbor’s fence extending across the property line).

Undisclosed Fix-ups. Despite disclosure requirements, don’t expect every seller to own up to every physical detail that will need attention. This is why you want to conduct a thorough inspection of the home early in the process. Although it isn’t required, it is in your interest to hire an independent inspector to complete this process. Then negotiate with the seller to fix the items the inspector found. A good inspector should be able to give you a written report of such matters, including some approximate costs of repairs needed.

Failure to Get Mortgage Preapproval. When you are preapproved, you can shop for a new home with a greater sense of freedom and security, knowing that the money will be there when you find the right home.

Contract Misses. If a seller fails to comply to the letter of the contract or changes the spirit of the agreement in some manner, this could delay the final closing date and settlement. It’s wise to agree ahead of time on a dollar amount for an escrow fund that would cover items that the seller does not follow through on. Make a complete list of such agreed upon issues, and then check each one off as it is completed.

Rushing the Closing. Understandably, you’ll be excited and anxious at this stage in the process, but TAKE YOUR TIME. Ask to review all paperwork the day before expected close of escrow. Is the interest rate accurate? Has everything been checked off? Do you understand all the fees that are listed? If you rush this stage, you could actually run into a last minute snag which could jeopardize the entire deal.