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Ready to house-hunt? Consider these tips from Jim Gillespie, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation.

• To choose a realtor, notice which companies have a number of "For Sale" signs posted in your area. Then call to arrange to meet with sales associates from those companies.
• Shop for a mortgage company. Your realtor will recommend those she's worked with; don't waste time searching for lenders, just to save a small percentage on a rate. Knowing you'll get good service is more important than 1/8 of a point.
• Try to get preapproved for a loan—this means that the lender has checked your credit and tax histories, verified your employment, and has then committed to approving you before you actually have a contract with a seller. If the lender prequalifies you, the lender assumes your information is true but has not carried out a background check; once you have a contract, you can go back to the company, but there is no guarantee of a loan.
• Have "earnest money" on hand. If you decide to buy a house, a seller may require a percentage of the purchase price (the amount should be no more than 2%). If the deal closes, the amount is applied to the down payment; if the deal doesn't close, the buyer almost always gets the amount back. If the deal falls through late in the process, in some cases the parties may negotiate a settlement.

Food for Thought

Looking to cut down on catering costs? Here, two savvy tips from Sharon Naylor, author of 1000 Best Wedding Bargains (Sourcebooks).

• Consider "combination plates." Instead of offering a choice of chicken, steak or salmon entrées, design a platter with a few grilled shrimp and medallions of beef in a madeira sauce, plus creative presentations of vegetables. The combo platter may save you 40% or more, because the chef knows exactly how much to buy for your head count.
• If you want to include pricey seafood selections, save money by hand-passing them instead of serving them as meal or buffet items. Caterers note that this way, guests consume 40% to 60% fewer shrimp, scallops, crab claws, and so on. When servers carry silver platters topped with jumbo shrimp, it doesn't look budget-friendly—but it is!

Your Brilliant Budget

"My husband and I love to swing dance, and we have lots of friends who are amateur musicians and dancers. Among all of them, we pulled together a great little band that played at our reception, and we made sure all our guests got dance lessons! It didn't cost us a thing, and by the end of the night everyone was doing the Lindy Hop."
—Gaby Sanchez, Hoboken, NJ. Wedding: December 8, 2003.