While people sometimes need to pack up and move with little notice, they often have more time to prepare. Perhaps you're tired of renting a tiny apartment and are eager to have a home of your own. Maybe you need to find a larger house to accommodate a growing family, or a smaller one to downsize in retirement.

Giving yourself up to a year to plan a home purchase will help get everything in order before you make this important decision. It will also make you feel less rushed and stressful during the process.

One year to go

Before you even start browsing through listings, you should have an idea of what you are looking for. Marcie Geffner, writing for the financial site Bankrate, says you should determine a comfortable range for your monthly mortgage payments. Greg T. Doherty, a Denver real estate agent, says you should consider other debts such as student loans and car payments as well. Lenders generally want no more than 43 percent of your income to go toward paying down your combined debts.

Once you know how much you'd like to pay each month, you can figure out your probable price range. Brendon Desimone, writing for the real estate site Zillow, says online mortgage calculators will let you adjust factors such as the down payment and interest rates. However, you shouldn't rely on these tools too heavily; they won't take certain variables into account, such as how interest rates may have changed by the time you purchase a property.

Check your credit score to see if you need to improve it. Doherty says a good credit score can help you get a lower interest rate and save a great deal of money over the life of the loan. A credit score of at least 750 is advisable.

People can get one free credit report a year from the three major credit bureaus at annualcreditreport.com. Once you review this report, you will be able to dispute any inaccuracies that might be hindering your credit score.

Figure out how you'd like to make your down payment. Buyers are often encouraged to put down 20 percent of the purchase price, since this will help you build equity, get a better interest rate and more affordable monthly payment, and eliminate the need for private mortgage insurance.

If a 20 percent down payment isn't feasible, look into other options. You might be able to make a smaller down payment, but will have to be prepared for the higher monthly payments and insurance costs. Jennifer Nelson, writing for the National Association of Realtors' home improvement site HouseLogic, says loans through the Federal Housing Administration allow you to put down as little as 3.5 percent.

Nine months to go

Once you have a financial plan in order and a general idea of what you want in a home, you can start to consider which features are most important to you. You should also have an idea of the geographical area to concentrate your search. Andrea Browne Taylor, writing for the financial site Kiplinger, says you should be looking for a place you're prepared to live in for at least five to seven years.

Make a list of non-negotiable amenities, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you'd like the home to have. You should also list the features you'd like to have, but don't consider absolutely necessary.

Looking through listings can give you an idea of a home and its neighborhood, but you'll get a better feel if you visit in person. Doherty says attending open houses will let you know what amenities you can expect at certain price levels. You may decide that you need to reconsider which neighborhoods or features you can afford.

Attending an open house will also let you meet local real estate agents and possibly find one you'd like to represent you. Desimone says you can start researching agents up to a year before your planned purchase. Get recommendations from family and friends, and schedule meetings with a few agents to see if you can find one who is a good fit.

Although you should start saving up money for a home purchase as soon as you know you'd like to make this commitment, saving for nine months will help you meet certain costs. Nelson says that in addition to budgeting for closing costs, you should establish a fund for home maintenance and repairs.

Six months to go

At this point, you should get all of your financial paperwork together. These documents include your W-2 forms, personal tax returns for the past two or three years, recent pay stubs, bank statements, credit card and loan statements, retirement account balances, and address changes for the past five to seven years. This paperwork will be necessary to set you up with a loan, and arranging it in advance will keep you from scrambling for it later on.

If you haven't found a real estate agent yet, now is a good time to choose one. Geffner says it is important to find an agent who won't pressure you to buy a home and is knowledgeable about the area where you are searching. This insight can help you find homes that haven't yet been listed or other off-market properties that might be available.

You should also start researching lenders to compare rates and see which ones are most advantageous. Doherty says one option is to hire a mortgage broker to do this research for you. He recommends this option if you are seeking a non-traditional mortgage or if your credit score is still lagging behind 750.

Final months

Once you've found an agent, you can meet with a lender or mortgage broker to get pre-approved for a loan. Turner says this process will let you know how much you can borrow, and can help you set up a budget to balance your mortgage payments and other regular expenses. It will also ensure that your offer on a property can be approved more quickly.

Desimone says that once you are pre-approved, you should take a look at your situation to make sure a purchase is right for you. For example, you might anticipate that you'll be laid off or otherwise have to find a new job within a few years. In that case, you're more likely to have to sell your home and take a loss.

After you are pre-approved, you can start shopping for a home in earnest. Keep an eye out for new listings, and keep in touch with your agent so you'll be able to review available properties.

Once you make an offer on a home, you can anticipate that it will be about two months before the sale is closed. This time allows you to complete steps such as getting the home inspected, acquiring homeowners insurance, and transferring the down payment. It also gives you time to arrange a move from your former home to your new one.