Gone are the days of browsing newspaper classified ads and yellow pages for things you can buy. In today’s digital era, you can find exactly what you’re looking for online in just a few clicks. You can search for almost anything that’ll fit you, from clothes and shoes of your size to actual career opportunities you’re born to do. And yes, you can even find the home of your dreams online.
House hunting is much easier online. No need to devote a day or two, physically visiting house after house. You can search for real estate properties in your preferred location, equipped with the features you need and set in your ideal price range. You can easily narrow down your list and only visit a few homes that tick all the boxes.
Online house hunting, however, is no different from buying something from an e-commerce store. You can scroll through the advertised photos and read the fine print, but it all boils down to the credibility of your supplier and platform. Transact with a bogus seller and you’ll get something that looks far from your expectations.
That’s why you have to make sure you’re using the right resources with accurate and useful information. To have a successful online house hunt, check out these tips.
1. Use a reliable real estate search site
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The marketplace side of social media platforms might be a holy grail for finding food merchants under the radar, but it’s not the best place for finding your home.
Stick to reliable and secure search sites dedicated to property listings such as Realtor. These sites are up-to-date, showing you active listings. They’re also useful for gauging home values and learning more about the neighborhood’s amenities, commercial areas, schools, hospitals, and even crime statistics.
Lastly, you’re less likely to get scammed.
2. Keep a list of must-haves
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When you search online, you’ll tap into an overwhelming array of attractive properties. Having more options to choose from can be an advantage if you play your cards right. However, it can also get exhausting at some point, and this can take a toll on your decision-making process.
That said, make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for so you can narrow down your search. You’ll stay focused if you have a list of must-haves in a property, including location, maximum price, size, number of bedrooms and baths, home-style, and other personal preferences. List down your deal breakers too.
3. Utilize search filters wisely
Search filters can work for or against you. They can be adjusted to meet your budget, location needs, and other criteria for the properties you’re looking for. However, you might miss a lot of opportunities if you narrow down your options too much.
Know when to narrow or expand your search options lightly. Let’s say you know you're looking for real estate in Sydney. You're looking for a 3-bedroom, 2-bath single-level home that’s 1700 square feet, between 270,000 AUD to 300,000 AUD. But if you limit your search to these options, you might miss a perfect home at 2,000 square feet, or that has 4-5 bedrooms, or that’s priced at 250,000 AUD.
4. Check the neighborhood
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There are essential features that simply can’t be narrowed down by search filters, like the neighborhood and amenities. You have to do your assessment on this.
Research the school system. Check out the neighborhood’s crime rates, average income levels, flood situation, and more. See the social, cultural, and recreation scenes too. Find out the nearby restaurants, local attractions, shopping centres, and activities.
5. Don’t rely on pictures alone
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I’ve once bought a bulk of succulent plants that look pretty in pictures. Unfortunately, I received a sad bunch of soggy, overwatered, and deteriorating plants that don’t look as vibrant as the ones advertised. Their common denominator? Root problem. And of course, it’s something I didn’t know just by seeing the photos alone, which were shot from a top-view angle.
The same goes for real estate properties. Photos can be deceiving, since real estate photographers have been trained to show a home in the best possible light. They know the best lens for making a space look visually wider, the angles that will hide eyesores, and the editing tools that make colors pop. Most listings won’t contain photos of unappealing parts of the home, like outdated bathrooms, problematic systems, tiny closets, and wall cracks.
6. Consider hiring a realtor or agent
[caption class="snax-figure" align="aligncenter" width="1140"][/caption]If you’re purchasing a house for the first time, you want to have a professional that’ll make your home buying process a breeze for you. A real estate agent can help you stay away from fraud, especially with questionable online listings. They’ll also help you review the home, negotiate a fair price, and even ask essential questions you might’ve never thought of.
7. Go for an actual tour
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House hunting online is solely meant for finding your options and narrowing them down — and not for going through the whole home buying process. You must schedule an actual tour to get a better sense of the house’s size and visual appeal.
Once you have your finalists, call up your real estate agent and arrange a showing. Explore every part of the house and inspect every nook and cranny. This is also a great opportunity to ask the most important questions.
Author Bio: Carmina Natividad is a daytime writer for Pilcher Residential, a leading real estate agency in New South Wales, Australia. This full-time writer loves looking out for new home décor trends and writing articles focused on real estate and interior design.
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