The real estate boom of the past five years has boosted housing prices in the United States to unprecedented levels. In fact, the average home now costs well over $200,000. With houses being so expensive, it can be easy to rush into a deal and overpay for either the property or the loan that funds it. With so much at stake, it pays to plan ahead in order to get the best deal.

By taking a proactive approach to buying, prospective buyers can make sure that they find a house that is suited to their needs and a loan that works within their budget.

Here are a few suggestions:

Check your credit - Nearly one in four credit reports contains errors. Those errors might be minor, such as an incorrect address, or major, such as listing a nonexistent bankruptcy. Significant errors might cost you the ability to obtain a loan at a good rate or even the ability to obtain a loan at all. Checking your credit report will also allow you to see if you have any unpaid bills that need to be paid up before you apply for a loan.

Shop around for a lender - Don't just sign up with anyone who has an office. You will be working with a lender for several months as you apply for the loan and work towards closing on a property. Shop around to find someone with whom you are comfortable. You'll also want to discuss various types of lending options with a number of different lenders in order to determine where you will find the best deal. All lenders are not alike.

Get loan preapproval - You want to be "preapproved" and not "prequalified." Prequalified means that the lender has taken a casual glance at your finances and determined that you could probably qualify for a loan if you actually applied. Preapproved means that you have applied and that the lender is willing to lend you a specific amount of money RIGHT NOW. This is a tremendous advantage should you find yourself competing for a house with another buyer.

Find an appraiser - Appraisal fraud is a huge problem in the real estate industry. Thousands of buyers have discovered too late that they paid much more for a house than it was actually worth. This is known as mortgage fraud, and it usually involves lenders, sellers, and appraisers working together. If you find an appraiser on your own, it minimizes your chances of being taken in a shady real estate deal.

A little bit of planning can go a long way towards making sure that you get the best deal when you buy a house.