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If you have been thinking of buying a home while prices and interest rates are low but have been sitting on the sidelines, Trulia’s Tara-Nicolle Nelson outlines the first steps you should take in order to best position yourself for a successful leap into the market. Once you have reviewed and digested these steps, call me to discuss how we can get started in securing that new home for you…

The recession has done lots of favors for buyers-to-be, including dropping prices and interest rates to bargain levels. But it has also created a lending and housing market climate in which loans are tough to get, tensions about buying into a down market run high, and transactions are harder and longer to close than they have ever been.

If I were talking to a friend who wanted to throw a New Year's 2013 party in her new home, here are the things I'd tell her to do, stat:

1. Fix credit problems. More deals than ever are dying on the vine, and credit problems are a top reason home-sale transactions fall out of escrow. Detect and correct errors on your credit report now by reviewing the federally mandated free reports you can get at AnnualCreditReport.com.

2. Study up. Do some research, both online and offline, into things like:

Areas: Start your online research into decision points like tax rates, school districts, neighborhood character and even prices in various areas. Check out NabeWise.com for some local insight into neighborhood flavor and personality.

When you start connecting with local agents, ask them to brief you on neighborhood market dynamics. They can give you a deeper view into need-to-knows like how long homes typically stay on the market and whether they generally go for more or less than the asking price, so you can be smart about how you search vis-à-vis what you have to spend.

Agents: This is the perfect time to ask your family and friends for a referral to an agent they know, have used and love (like Mike Hostetler!). When you've narrowed the field down to a few, call them up and set up a meeting to find out if you're a good fit.

Distressed properties: In some areas, more than 40 percent of the homes on the market are short sales and foreclosures, and they involve a very different timeline and set of facts than traditional home sales. Read up and talk with the agent candidates you interview about what you should expect from these types of listings, to minimize surprise and manage your expectations way in advance.

3. Save even more. You have worked hard for a number of years to save enough cash that you think you're in the clear when it comes to funding your down payment and closing costs. Studies show that after months of saving, people often let up and relax into a spending season. Even at your early stage in the process, it's easy to start noticing and buying the furnishings and touches you want to install in your new home.

While I don't want you to feel deprived or forgo amazing and affordable deals on things you know you're going to need, I assure you that no matter what amount of cash you have on hand, when you start house hunting, making offers, closing your transaction or moving in, the time will definitely come when you'll wish you had more.

You might want to ratchet up your offer a bit to best another buyer, or you might just end up with a place that needs a little sprucing up. It might be months before you know exactly what you'll need extra cash for, but now is not the time to press the gas pedal when it comes to your monthly spending.

4. Purge. Now's the time to sell, donate or give away as much of your junk or, excuse me, precious personal possessions as you can. Use the proceeds to pad your cash cushion, or tuck the donation receipts away for your tax records next year.

Start with these steps and chances are good that your house hunt -- and purchase -- will be in full swing by spring, if not sooner.