Top Tips for House Hunting Online

Woman with laptop

Hunting for a new home online is a great place to start your search, but it should not be your end all.

Good listing agents are excellent at highlighting the best features of the home. However, keep in mind there may be more than meets the eye. To make the most of your time and efforts gather a well-rounded picture of home listings online. Keep the following three things in mind:

1. Stay up to date. When you start your search, make sure you find a site that pulls up-to-date listings directly from the multiple listing service (MLS) where real estate agents actively post their most current homes for sale. Many online resources update less often or fail to remove listings that are off the market, making it more difficult to sort through the clutter.

2. Pictures can be deceiving. Real estate photographers are experts at showing a home in the best possible light. Many use tools and strategies to boost appeal, such as a fisheye lens to make areas look larger and creative editing to make colors and textures really pop. But, often listings will not contain photos of unappealing parts of the home, like small closets or outdated bathrooms.

3. See (and smell) it to believe it. Once you find what appears to be your dream home online, call up your real estate agent and schedule a showing. You want to take the opportunity to vet the home in person. Explore every part of it before beginning the offer process. Your real estate agent will help you cover all your bases and will ask questions you may not have thought of.

Hunting for a new home should be fun and stress-free. Let’s chat about how to use online tools to find your perfect home. Click here to book an appointment.

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