Get a Good Agent..While the Internet gives you a great deal of advanced information, it rarely tells you the whole story. Many upper end homes at the Lake of the Ozarks are not officially on the "for sale" market, but the good agents know which ones are available. The Lake of the Ozarks is a very different place than most metro areas, and a good agent can pay dividends in both time spent searching for a home and when it comes time to make an offer.

Get your Finances Together Get either a letter of credit (if you're paying cash) or a pre-approval letter from a lender. Many upper end homeowners won't allow a buyer to view their property without proof of pre-approval. The pre-approval will do nothing but help you when the time comes to negotiate on the contract, and gives you better leverage and a "cleaner" contract once the question of financing is removed form the equation. This is also a good time in the process to consider the tax implications of purchasing this home. Talk with your tax advisor about whether to preserve cash and obtain a higher mortgage for the tax write-off, and discuss capital gains, etc.

Get an Inspection Even if the home is new construction, you will want to have it inspected in a timely manner and make sure to have contingencies written into the contract for your protection. You would be surprised at what can be wrong with a house that looks perfect from the outside!

Look at the Surrounding Area Consider that many million dollar homes are unique, and often are set apart from the other homes in the area. Be sure you know exactly what the future plans are for any undeveloped land nearby. Get in writing from your real estate agent what is known at this time. After all, your agent's expertise and local knowledge is what they are getting paid for. Make sure there is proper zoning for the area to make sure you don't end up with a waterfront bar as your new neighbor!