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<\/a>Step zero: Make a list<\/h2>\n
The first step is to make a space for all your other steps. A house-hunting checklist<\/a> is a great way to organize your thoughts and streamline your search.<\/p>\n You probably know the general size and shape of the house you\u2019re looking for, but what are your must-haves, and how do they rank next to your nice-to-haves? What do you want? What do you need? What about the layout? Make your first step a call to order and efficiency by making an exhaustive checklist.<\/p>\n Once you have everything nailed down, figure out where there is a little wiggle room.<\/p>\n Looking for a three-bedroom, two-bath? How about a two-bedroom, two-bath with a four-season sunroom<\/a> that could easily become that third bedroom? The key is to strike a balance between knowing what you want, and working with what you can get.<\/p>\n But what good is the right house if it\u2019s in the wrong neighborhood? Luckily for us, you can learn a lot about a place online.<\/p>\n A plethora of state, city, and neighborhood information is available to would-be homebuyers, and it\u2019s all just a click away. But where do you start? How do you distinguish good sources from fountains of bad information? The best way to break up a big project is to serve it up in bite-size pieces.<\/p>\n \u201cGoogle it\u201d is the ubiquitous first step in fact-finding for many queries. Second only to rapport with a good agent, there is no greater asset for getting a virtual lay of the land.<\/p>\n Googling the address<\/a> will give you a choice of photographic and satellite images of the home and surrounding area. But there are some limitations here \u2014 the images might be dated (check the lower right corner of the photographic image to see the date the image was captured) and, according to Moon, in rural areas, the images may be incomplete, low-quality or non-existent.<\/p>\n On the plus side, especially if you\u2019re hunting in an urban area, the \u201cSearch Nearby\u201d and \u201cExplore\u201d features will populate the map with amenities of your choosing, from restaurants to nursery to hospitals.<\/p>\n Google Earth<\/a> provides highly-detailed, zoom-able maps rendered in dazzling 3-D. For the intrepid and highly techy traveler, there\u2019s even a VR version if you\u2019ve always wanted to pop on your headset and wander the foothills of the Himalayas.<\/p>\n But back to the subject at hand: aside from good old Google, what are some online resources to acquaint yourself with a city you cannot currently visit? Here\u2019s a small sampling.<\/p>\n US News and World Report<\/i><\/a> provides a searchable guide to the nation\u2019s top hospitals (and the methodology<\/a> used to do the ranking) and The LeapFrog Group also provides a guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though somewhat prone to errors due to administrative shortcomings (accurate reporting, dynamic updating, and so on), sites like CityProject<\/a>, and Spot Crime<\/a> offer searchable maps for crime hot spots.<\/p>\n Neighborhood Scouts<\/a> offers a buffet of statistics for the analytically minded, though much of their good stuff is kept behind a paywall.<\/p>\n The Environmental Protection Agency has you covered<\/a> with location-specific data.<\/p>\n The National Center for Education Statistics has the numbers on both public<\/a> and private<\/a> schools. Great Schools<\/a> is also an excellent resource.<\/p>\n Moon advises buyers to beware of local Facebook Groups and the like when it comes to online research. He doesn\u2019t discount the importance of a buyer\u2019s self-guided internet investigation, but he stresses that your agent can provide reliable, vetted sources. He says, \u201cI want to make sure you have the right facts at your fingertips.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Moon and Ryan are adamant about this point: above all else, you must rely on your agent for information about the community you may call home. While you might be able to find the precise annual rainfall or the average price of a gallon of gas, no web source will be able to provide the information that matters most: what is it like to live there?<\/p>\n And it\u2019s not just local knowledge your agent can provide. Ryan points out:<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going to find the seller\u2019s motivation online. So you\u2019re going to have to find an agent who\u2019s willing to go digging deep, having conversations with the agents that are listing the properties and find out, why is the seller selling?\u201d<\/p>\n To find the right agent, get ready with (another) checklist, and don\u2019t be timid!<\/p>\n Ryan\u2019s general advice on interviewing agents: \u201cDon\u2019t be shy. You can\u2019t be. Not in this. You have to lay it all<\/i> on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n During interviews, he says it\u2019s common for buyers to ask questions<\/a> about his personal experience living in the area, including his preferences on restaurants and local recreation facilities. He\u2019s even been asked to share his reflections on growing up in the area, where he went to high school and college, and where he might go for a drink after work.<\/p>\n Your agent should be eager to find information on whatever is important to you. \u201cWhere is the local herpetarium?\u201d might catch your agent off guard, but if amphibians are your thing, make it known. A good agent will make it their thing, too, and be enthusiastic about getting you what you want. Ryan says, \u201cYou have to have an agent that\u2019s tenacious \u2014 that\u2019s not afraid to go ask those difficult questions. \u201c<\/p>\n Moon and Ryan agree that years of experience is the bare minimum qualification for the right agent for a remote search. It\u2019s essential you have someone who\u2019s familiar with the process, from shopping to closing remotely<\/a>.<\/p>\n Some shoppers are not aware that working with an agent unlocks a trove of information to which you would not otherwise have access. Your agent will grant you entry to a site with the most up-to-date information available anywhere online: the MLS<\/a> (multiple listing service). As the name suggests, it\u2019s the catch-all listing for every piece of property on the market. The information is kept super-fresh with frequent updates, unlike the secondary resources where consumers have unrestricted access, which tend to be just a couple of steps behind.<\/p>\n Save yourself the heartbreak of finding out the property you fell in love with online has actually been under contract for two days. Serious shoppers focus their efforts on the MLS.<\/p>\n At this point, with your agent and checklists in order, and your \u201cyeas\u201d and \u201cnays\u201d in tidy piles, you\u2019re ready for the next step where the house-hunting gets very real (well, very virtually real).<\/p>\n In some cases, the homes you\u2019re viewing online will offer a virtual open house, or the sellers\u2019 agent will give you a live video tour. You may even find immersive virtual reality options (if you can tear yourself away from Google Earth) that will walk you through a composite 3-D rendering of the home (whoa!). All of these are good options, but none are as good as a personal, virtual walk-through with your agent.<\/p>\n Only your agent\u2019s virtual showing can square up your expectations with reality. For example, the professional photographers hired by seller\u2019s agents will use tricks to accentuate the good and hide the bad, but according to Moon, just as often it goes the other way: a home that showed poorly online will exceed your (virtual) expectations in person.<\/p>\n Moon also makes sure to include the front and back yards and any details that may not appear in the listing photos. With a live virtual tour<\/a>, you can hear the floorboards creak under your agent\u2019s feet, watch the toilet flush, and say, \u201cHey \u2014 can you get a close-up of that backsplash?\u201d<\/p>\n While doing a live tour allows buyers to ask questions in real-time, Ryan says it\u2019s also common for people less comfortable with technology to request videos.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t let unfamiliarity with technology stop you from achieving this dream! It is totally fine if you\u2019re not a cutting-edge gizmo wizard; you can still shop for a house online. Ryan suggests enlisting a digital native (a grandkid, if you have one available) to help you clear technological hurdles.<\/p>\nHello, neighborhood<\/h2>\n
Walkability and commuting<\/h3>\n
Hospitals and healthcare<\/h3>\n
Crime rates and stats<\/h3>\n
Air quality and environment<\/h3>\n
Schools<\/h3>\n
Social media and a grain of salt<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-shop-for-a-house-online-phone-666x381.png\")
<\/a>Interviewing agents<\/h2>\n
Agent<\/a>? Check. Now let\u2019s shop!<\/h2>\n
Request a virtual showing<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/how-to-shop-for-a-house-online-tablet-666x381.png\")
<\/a>Facewhat? What\u2019s a Zoom?<\/h2>\n