It’s easy to get ahead of yourself when you’re looking at houses and before you know it, you’ve fallen in love with a home that costs $100,000 more than you can afford.

That’s why it’s important to do your financial homework before you dive in for the fun part and visit possible homes, says Brenda Fioretti, president of the Naples Area Board of Realtors and a real estate agent with Prudential Florida Realty.

“It’s very smart to be preapproved with a mortgage lender,” she said. “That eliminates the stress of not knowing how much you can spend.”

Before you meet with your mortgage broker, look at your income and have a general idea of how much you want to spend on housing per month, said Chuck Kansy, vice president of First World Mortgage in Naples.

“I might say you’re qualified for $300,000 and this is what your payment is going to be but you might qualify for more than what you really want to spend,” Kansy said. “When I ask people how much you’re comfortable paying each month it’s not just the mortgage payment. You have to factor in insurance and property taxes and a lot of times, if you buy in a place with a homeowner’s association, you have to figure in a monthly payment for that.”

Standard lending guidelines state that your total housing payment, including mortgage, taxes, insurance and dues, shouldn’t exceed 28 percent of your gross income,” Kansy said.

Another major detail is how much of a down payment you plan to make, which will affect the type of mortgage you choose, Kansy said. If you have a small down payment, a Federal Housing Administration loan may be best. If you can put down 20 percent, you’ll probably choose a conventional loan.

When you speak with your broker for the first time, that person will ask your income, asset and debt figures and check your credit. With that information, you can be prequalified for a loan, he said.

Once you provide pay stubs or tax returns to prove employment and bank statements to prove assets, you will be preapproved.

Once you have your preapproval letter, it’s time for the fun part — shopping.

To help you find properties you’re actually interested in, your real estate agent will interview you to find out what you like before they start setting up appointments, Fioretti said.

“A good Realtor will ask a lot of questions in the initial interview to try to get a feel for what the buyers’ wants and needs are,” she said. “We need to understand their lifestyle preferences, the amenities, the school issues, work, commuting, etc.”

In Southwest Florida, one of the important choices is “condominium or house.” Buyers often make that choice based on how much maintenance they want to be responsible for, she said. Seasonal residents tend to lean toward condos.

In today’s market, it is especially important to understand the financial health of each community, Fioretti added. The Realtor should help you do your due diligence to make sure that the homeowners’ association is managing its finances so you aren’t surprised with fee hikes or maintenance issues.

When you start shopping for homes, Fioretti recommends the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR) Web site, www.NaplesArea.com, to access up-to-date MLS information. Many real estate Web sites do not offer search functions to weed out or select foreclosures or short sales, or list when properties have an active contract — the NABOR site does.