Beginner here - Advice on initial steps

[Liron Tankus]

Hello,

I currently live in Canada (Canadian residence) and have 100K USD in cash.

I wanted to start looking for a house in the US, I thought of Buffalo NY since it's not far away from me.

I know I should open a US bank account, are there any other things that I should do before starting my search? (such as things that can reduce taxation both in US and Canada)

As a beginner, should I independently finance or take a loan and buy more units?

I'd appreciate any advice.

Thank you,

Liron