5 Tips for Online House Hunting
Introduction
The internet has transformed the way people search for homes, making the homebuying process more efficient and accessible. With real estate websites and apps, buyers can explore listings, compare prices, and even secure mortgage pre-approval—all from their devices.
However, with thousands of listings available, knowing how to search effectively is key. This guide provides five essential tips to help you streamline your online house hunting and find the right home.
Key Concepts
Advantages of Online House Hunting
🔹 Convenience – Browse homes anytime, anywhere.
🔹 Customization – Use filters to match listings to your needs.
🔹 Efficiency – Get instant alerts for price changes and new listings.
How Real Estate Websites and Apps Work
✔ Property Search – View homes in different locations.
✔ Market Trends – Compare prices and track fluctuations.
✔ Financial Tools – Estimate mortgage costs and apply for pre-approval.
💡 Tip: A well-structured online search can save time and help you find the best deals in the market.
Data Insights: The Impact of Online Searches
📊 97% of homebuyers use online resources when searching for a home.
📉 Key statistics:
✔ Listings with professional photos receive 118% more views.
✔ 54% of buyers found their home through an online search before consulting an agent.
A strategic online search can increase your chances of finding the right home faster.
5 Essential Tips for Online House Hunting
1. Choose a Reliable Real Estate App
✔ Use trusted platforms like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com for accurate listings.
✔ These apps provide features such as:
- Mortgage calculators for affordability insights.
- Pre-approval tools to assess loan eligibility.
- Virtual home tours for a closer look at properties.
💡 Tip: Some apps include neighborhood reviews and renovation cost estimates to help you make informed decisions.
2. Enable Alerts for Instant Updates
✔ Real estate databases update frequently with new listings and price changes.
✔ Set up alerts to be notified of:
- Homes that match your search criteria.
- Price reductions on properties of interest.
- Status changes, such as pending or sold listings.
💡 Tip: Fast-moving markets require quick action, so stay informed with real-time updates.
3. Broaden Your Search Criteria
✔ While filters help refine options, they can also limit your choices.
✔ Consider adjusting your search by:
- Expanding the geographic area to include nearby cities or suburbs.
- Being flexible with home features—small updates can be cost-effective.
- Slightly increasing your budget range to unlock more options.
💡 Example: A three-bedroom home in an emerging neighborhood might offer better value than a two-bedroom home in a high-demand area.
4. Consult a Real Estate Agent
✔ A professional real estate agent can:
- Review listings to ensure accuracy and highlight hidden details.
- Provide market insights on pricing and negotiation strategies.
- Schedule and facilitate property tours.
💡 Tip: Agents may have access to off-market or pre-listing homes that aren’t available online.
5. Schedule an In-Person or Virtual Tour
✔ Online photos can be edited or staged, making in-person visits essential.
✔ A home tour allows you to:
- Evaluate the property’s actual condition.
- Get a feel for the neighborhood and surrounding area.
- Identify potential maintenance or structural issues.
💡 Tip: If an in-person visit isn’t possible, ask for a live virtual tour to get a real-time walkthrough.
Common Misconceptions About Online House Hunting
❌ “The first listing I find is the best one.”
✅ Always explore multiple options to compare value and features.
❌ “Online photos reflect the true condition of a home.”
✅ Many images are professionally staged—an in-person visit is necessary.
❌ “Strict filters will help me find the perfect home.”
✅ Loosening filters can reveal hidden gems in your price range.
Practical Applications: Making the Most of Online Searches
✅ Use multiple real estate platforms to compare listings.
✅ Set alerts for new listings and price changes.
✅ Expand your search to consider different neighborhoods.
✅ Schedule a tour to verify the home’s true condition.
By following these steps, you can streamline your home search, save time, and find a property that fits your needs and budget.
📖 Next Steps: Explore our step-by-step homebuying guide to prepare for the next phase of your journey.
5 Steps to Prepare for House Hunting
Before you attend your first open house, take some time to imagine your ideal home. Follow these steps to match your dreams with reality once you hit the homebuying market.
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Research Your Ideal Location
You’ve heard it before: location, location, location. Before deciding anything else about what your future home will look like, you need to decide where you will live.
The location you choose will determine several key factors of your new home and life worth considering:
- Education and health care: A good, local school system is often a priority for families who have or plan to have children. Additionally, access to hospitals is critical in case of emergency. Make sure the area you’re looking in has what you and your family need.
- Safety: Information about crime rates and other safety factors are often made available to the public. A quick search can help you feel more secure in your new home.
- Commute and public transportation: Consider your commute to work, if you’re not working remote full time, and your options for transportation. Does your neighborhood have sufficient public transportation options such as buses, a subway or trains? Or do you need a car and adequate parking?
- Quality of life: When you buy a home, you are also committing to live in the surrounding community. Before you buy, spend a day exploring your future neighborhood. Find out what’s in walking distance, understand the transit routes and visit local businesses you might frequent.
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Calculate Your Price Range
After location, cost is one of the most important criteria in the homebuying process. Understanding what you can afford helps narrow your focus and minimize stress. You’ll want to work closely with your lender to determine what you can comfortably afford.
To determine the affordability of a neighborhood, review:
- Average rents.
- Home prices.
- Property taxes.
- Overall cost of living in the location where you intend to live.
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Determine a Size and Layout
Your options are plentiful when it comes to the size and layout of potential homes, and each comes with positives and negatives. Explore your home type options to decide which one is best for you.
Before buying a home, you should consider how long you plan to live there and how your needs might change over the years. Think about whether you might need an extra bedroom or two for a family down the road. At the same time, it’s best practice to be mindful of your budget and how much space you can afford.
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Identify Your Nonnegotiables
A homebuying wish list can help you identify and prioritize what you need, versus what you want, in a future home. Categories on your wish list may include:
- Location.
- Size.
- Property condition.
- Amenities.
Once you’ve determined your wish list, you can easily check against it to keep yourself on track while you look for homes in person and online.
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Consider Resale Value
There will likely come a time when you decide to sell your home. If this isn’t your forever home, it’s important to consider what features will appeal to future buyers.
Here are some things to consider that can impact the resale value of a home:
- Amenities: To determine if a home is lacking something significant, compare it with other homes in the neighborhood. For example, if all the homes on your street have a garage but yours doesn’t, it may not sell for as much as others.
- Outdated: If your home requires work when you list it, it may take longer for the home to sell or you may need to lower your price expectations.
- Specialized style: Nontraditional homes don’t appeal to everyone. Take note if your home is comparable in size and style to the other homes in the neighborhood.
Ask your agent about market conditions and whether the property would be easy to sell in the future.
