You've found some houses online that seem to fit what you're looking for, and you've called your agent to arrange some in-person visits. But before you head out the door, acquaint yourself with some house-hunting etiquette.

First and foremost, know how much house you can afford. If you haven't been preapproved for a mortgage, you may be wasting everyone's time -- including your own -- by looking at houses that are out of your league. Once you've met with a lender, you can start hunting.

When you have an appointment to view a place, make sure you show up on time, or even a few minutes early. If you can't be punctual, call ahead. Not to step on Miss Manners' toes, but being late is one of the worst breaches of etiquette, second only to not showing up at all.

Sellers go to a lot of trouble to get their homes ready for a showing: cleaning thoroughly (or at least putting everything away), locking up the dog and sending the kids down the street, for example. Being late shows a complete lack of respect for them and their efforts.

Speaking of children, it's best to leave yours at home so you can concentrate on the job at hand. Ditto for the family dog. Hire a sitter or ask a family member to watch them. Once you settle on a house, you can come back with the little ones to show them around or let them voice their opinions. But not before.

The same goes for your parents and friends: Sure, you value their opinions, but this is not a family affair -- at least not yet. Don't invite them to tag along until you've narrowed down your choices significantly.

Once you arrive for a showing, make sure you don't block the driveway, or even park in it. It's simple courtesy not to obstruct anyone. And leave the food in the car: No snacking in someone else's place.

As you enter, make sure you follow any requests made by the owners. If they ask that visitors wear masks, then wear a mask. If they ask that you leave your shoes at the front door, do so. Instructions like these are usually part of the listing, but even if they are announced when you arrive, do what they ask.

Otherwise, you run the risk of alienating the seller, which is never a good thing. A peeved seller might play hardball through the entire transaction just because you wouldn't remove your shoes.

Everybody has a camera in their pocket these days, but once inside, no pictures. Remember, this is someone's home. People already feel somewhat vulnerable when they open their house to strangers, so try not to make the situation worse. You can always ask if they mind you taking a few shots, but respect their wishes.

Measuring rooms or furniture is verboten, too. If you like the place enough for a second look, that's when you can take out the tape and measure to your heart's content.

On the other hand, feel free to take all the notes you desire. Bring along a notebook and write down what you like, what you don't, what might need to be repaired or replaced, and what you'd likely change if the place was yours.

It's OK to nose around, but don't be too nosy. Feel free to open closets, kitchen cabinets and pantry doors -- you have every right to see how much those spaces hold -- but don't open dresser drawers or medicine cabinets. And stay out of the refrigerator, especially if it doesn't convey. In short, don't rifle through their belongings.

Don't make yourself at home, either. This is still not your house, so don't sit on the furniture or beds. If you must sit, ask for permission first.

Don't use the bathroom. If the place is vacant, you won't be able to, anyway, because the water will be turned off. But if the house is still occupied, it's best to wait. If you can't, then ask for permission. It's the polite thing to do.

Finding a house that tickles your fancy is an exciting moment. But keep your comments and opinions to yourself as you look around. If the house has flaws, wait until you get back outside to talk about them. Otherwise, you could tick off the owner.

On the flip side, if the house seems perfect and has all the things you want, don't mention that within earshot of the owner or their agent, either. Anything you say could be used against you -- not in a court of law, but in the bargaining process. If the seller knows how much you want the house, they may not be willing to negotiate. In other words, don't show your hand by running your mouth.

Finally, don't linger at a showing. Take your time, for sure, but once you've had a complete look around, say your goodbyes and leave. There may be others waiting for their turn to view the house, or the owners may be waiting for the signal that they can come home.

The Golden Rule for house shopping is this: Treat sellers like you'd like to be treated if you were selling your house.

The much-discussed recent exodus to the hinterlands -- where professionals who can suddenly work from anywhere pack up and do so -- hasn't included everyone. Those who can't afford to move have pretty much stayed put.

But some places, in need of fresh blood and a greater tax base, will actually pay you to move there, according to Redfin. An April report from the company lists several states and cities willing to help with moving expenses and other costs.

These places don't offer free rides; there are strings attached. You may be required to take a local job, for example, rather than work remotely for your current employer. But if you have a hankering to get out of Dodge, they may be worth a look-see.

Take Vermont. Earlier this year, the Green Mountain State offered two grants for new residents -- one for remote workers who moved there, the other for newcomers who took jobs in-state -- each worth up to $7,500. That's not enough to cover most families' moving expenses, but housing might cost less there than in your current locale. Redfin puts the median sales price of Vermont houses at $373,000, compared with $428,379 nationally.

Under the program, someone who relocated to Vermont, became a permanent resident and took a full-time job with a Vermont employer was eligible for relocation grants as long as the work paid (or exceeded) the state's livable wage of $15.33 an hour. And a remote worker grant applied to those who moved to Vermont but still worked for an out-of-state company.

Another mountainous state, West Virginia, offers one of the most lucrative deals for new residents. And you don't even have to work there.

A package of incentives from Ascend West Virginia is worth $20,000, which includes $12,000 in cash, plus free outdoor recreation equipment, co-working space and professional development opportunities. The median house price in the Mountain State is $291,600.

Transplants who take the offer will get $10,000 just for moving, then $2,000 more in their second year of residency. And there are no strings attached on how you use the money: You can pay your relocation costs, buy a new car -- totally your choice.

Free water-skiing, white-water rafting and other outdoor activities last only a year, as does free rental equipment. But during that time, the gear also is free for your family and friends.

Northwest Arkansas, where the median is $251,400, will throw in a free mountain bike or road bike for people willing to move to Benton or Washington counties for at least a year. You'll also receive $10,000. But you have to relocate within six months of being approved for the stipend.

Tulsa, Oklahoma -- median house price of $220,000 -- also offers a $10,000 relocation incentive: $2,500 upfront and $7,500 within your first year of residency. You have to be a remote worker, either for yourself or an employer outside Oklahoma, and you must move within 12 months of applying for the grant.

Why are these places offering such incentives? To bring "diverse, bright and driven individuals to the city for community building, collaboration and networking," per a statement from the Tulsa Remote website.

A bit north of Tulsa, the Choose Topeka Initiative offers cash to out-of-staters moving to the Kansas capital for an "on site" position with participating employers, as well as to remote workers whose companies are located outside of Shawnee County. Workers taking the former option could be eligible to receive up to $15,000 towards buying a house, or up to $10,000 for rent. (Remote workers are eligible for $10,000 or $5,000, respectively.) You must be a full-time employee, and your new digs must be your primary residence. Topeka's median home price is $147,000, Redfin reports.

Not to be outdone, Lincoln, Kansas, is giving away free plots of land ranging from 14,000 to 35,000 square feet. The lots are in a residential development within the city limits, complete with streets, water and sewer, and located just a few blocks from a high school, hospital, park and downtown.

The land's gratis, but you are on your own when it comes to building a house, which must meet certain requirements. A one-story house must have a minimum footprint of 1,300 square feet, exclusive of a basement and the required two-car garage, while a two-story must be at least 900 square feet. And for what it's worth, no farm animals or livestock allowed.

The median sales price in Lincoln? Just $79,000.

If you buy a house in Newton, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines, the city will give you a check based on the home's cost. If the house is $190,000 or more, you get $10,000. And under Hamilton, Ohio's novel plan to attract recent college grads in science, technology, engineering, arts and math programs, the city is offering to pay new residents $400 a month, up to $15,000.

The median home price in Newton is $133,500; in Hamilton, $160,000.

And then there's the Shoals area of Alabama, where four cities -- Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia -- are paying $10,000 to self-employed and remote workers who move to the region. Takers will get $2,500 upfront, $2,500 more after six months of occupancy and the other $5,000 after a year.

Applicants' annual income must be at least $52,000, and the median home price for the region is $270,300.

Homeowners, which of these consumes more energy in your house: space heating or water heating? Either way, Uncle Sam is ready to help you pay for some energy-efficient upgrades.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law by President Biden a year ago, created two energy-efficiency rebate programs that could pay some, or even all, of the costs of buying Energy Star-rated appliances, adding insulation or otherwise making your home more efficient.

The rub: States will administer the programs, and each one must apply for its share of the $8.8 billion in federal funds earmarked for the rebates. And some states may opt out.

The states' application window opened this summer, when the Department of Energy issued the program's guidelines, and will close on Jan. 31, 2025. DoE expects the majority of states will have their programs up and running by early 2024. The rebates will be available to homeowners until Sept. 30, 2031, or until their respective state depletes its grants.

Declined funds will be redistributed to other states.

One state has already indicated it probably won't participate. Lawmakers in Tallahassee voted to apply for Florida's allocation -- which, at roughly $346 million, is the third-largest in the country, behind California and Texas. But Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the measure as "woke."

The DoE has not been officially notified, so DeSantis could still change his mind.

Some details on what homeowners stand to gain: One program, called Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates, offers up to $14,000; the other, called Home Efficiency Rebates, offers up to $8,000.

Under the former, which is available only to low- and middle-income homeowners, the rebates include $8,000 for an electric heat pump for heating and cooling; $4,000 for an electric load service center; $2,500 for wiring upgrades; up to $1,750 for a heat pump water heater; $1,600 for insulation, air sealing and ventilation; and $840 each for a heat pump clothes dryer and an electric stove, cooktop or range.

Low-income households are defined as those earning 80% or less of the area's median income. Middle-income families earn 80% to 150% of the median.

Under the second program, rebates for improvements like installing energy-efficient doors and windows, smart thermostats and air conditioners are tiered, based on a household's energy savings.

For example, low-income homeowners can get back up to $8,000 toward the cost of their projects if they cut energy usage by 35%. Generally, though, the rebate is capped at 80% of the cost for low-income earners. (States can opt to cover the remaining 20%.) Middle- and high-income households can get up to $4,000 or $2,000, respectively, with a cap at 50% of the cost.

By stacking rebates with other incentives, according to an analysis by the AnnDyl Policy Group, low earners could receive more than $22,000 from the federal government. Middle-income folks could get up to $19,000, while higher earners could get $7,200. Moreover, additional incentives may be available from local utilities or other federal rebate programs.

Speaking of incentives, legislation has been introduced in Congress that would boost the federal gain-on-sale tax back to $500,000 for single filers and $1 million for joint filers, which is where it was prior to 1997.

Currently, single sellers can exclude just half the old amount -- $250,000 -- in gains from the sale of their homes, while joint filers can exclude $500,000.

In a rare show of bipartisanship, the measure was put forward by Reps. Jimmy Panetta, a California Democrat, and Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican, in hopes of solving the inventory crisis. The number of houses for sale is at its lowest level in years.

The write-off is just one reason homeowners aren't selling. For one thing, as soon as they sell, they're in the same low-inventory boat as everybody else. For another, people are loath to trade their low-rate mortgages for today's much higher costs.

But the inability to write off more of his gains was a deal-breaker for alert reader Tom Littman of San Jose, California.

The Littmans have lived in their home for 36 years; their kids are grown, and they would very much like to sell and downsize. But they would be hit with a capital gains tax on the "significant" profit, over and above the current write-off.

Instead, like many others, they elected to stay put.

When a third of GenZers surveyed admit they don't know how to change a lightbulb, it would appear that some respondents are pulling pollsters' legs.

These troubling findings ring true, though: Nearly half of the respondents surveyed by Clever Real Estate are not sure they understand the home-selling process, and more than a third are not confident in their understanding of the buying process. Worse, a third don't know what a down payment is, and more than half are clueless about escrow accounts.

For the uninitiated, a down payment is what buyers pay upfront for a house. Escrow has two meanings: It can be an amount of earnest money held by a neutral third party until closing, or it can be the portion of your monthly payment that is set aside for homeowner's insurance and property taxes.