9 months is way too soon to talk to a RE Agent.
First question: Do you plan to stay in this house for at least 10 years? If yes, the congrats - you passed the first test on if you SHOULD buy. If no, then wait to buy until you can answer yes. The transaction cost of buying / selling is high - don't take it on unless you plan to be there for the long haul.
As said earlier, you need to determine the location (school district, etc).
You also need to determine what size of house you'll need.
It sounds like you have your price point (e.g. 200-250k). What you need to find out is what do you get for that price point in terms of location, size, quality, etc.
Also - find out what taxes are like in the areas you're interested in for 200-250k houses.
Ditto homeowners insurance. Talk to your agent for your auto and get a rough idea of what it'll set you back per year.
Now, with the above (e.g. you know you want 20% down on a 200-250k, know what the range of taxes, fees, etc are, and insurance) you can figure out what the range of your monthly costs for paying the mortgage plus escrow account (for the taxes and insurance) will be. The "payment" function in Excel will tell you what the principal and interest payment is for a given starting amount, rate, and term. Add on monthly for taxes and insurance.
Decide if you can stand a HOA community or not. (In my case, definitely not). If you decide a HOA is OK for you, find out what the expenses are in the various neighborhoods are - you don't need exact numbers....get an idea of what it MIGHT cost before you start looking. Factor this into your monthly cost calculation.
You don't mention a state - look into the actual mechanics of the transaction. Here in Washington, Escrow Agents are "LPO's", or Limited Practice Officers. They're authorized to draw up the deeds for a transaction. In many states you'll need an attorney for this (at inflated attorney prices). In many states, you'll need an attorney to do the Title Search (or abstract as it's some times known).....here in Washington, it's via a Title Company. Find out what that will cost you.
Start informally looking around the 'hoods you're interested in to get a feel for what's out there at what price. Use Redfin, Zillow or other similar local sites. Drive by places, go to open houses and be the lookie-loo. You'll get bombarded for contact info at open houses - open an e-mail account for your home buying only. Once you're done, you can abandon it - that way your "real" account isn't permanently spammed by RE Agents.
On pitfalls: Do not, under any circumstances, get into a bidding war. Also, do not, under any circumstances, waive inspection. Do not, under any circumstances, waive stuff that comes up on inspection - and reinspect after mandated repairs / insist on certain quality of goods used for repair, else a cheapskate seller will do a minimum cost repair with marginal material.
On things to look for: Find a place that has good "bones" - solid, well maintained structure that is free from rot, mechanical systems in good condition, good roof, siding, windows, etc. Remember that with a good set of bones, you can make your dream house, even if what you end up buying isn't aesthetically perfect. An ugly or simply outdated, but solid home, can often be had for a good price - just make sure it's only cosmetic and you can turn ugly into your vision of beautiful at a reasonable price. You'll pay top dollar for pretty and perfect.