7 of the Best House-Hunting Websites to Expand Your Search

If you’ve spent much of your life as a renter, you’re probably familiar with the many rental websites that can help you find the right apartment. Buying a house, however, is a different ballgame, so it’s a good thing that there are also lots of house-hunting websites to point you in the direction of your dream home.

Even if you plan on using a realtor (which is what most people do), these websites — where you can buy, sell, or rent directly — provide information straight to you, the buyer. You can explore where you want to live, what style of houses you like, and how much you plan on spending, among other things. 

Unlike the MLS (multiple listing service) alone, which is a professional database with a wealth of property information for licensed realtors, these websites aggregate MLS data and make it available to the public — and in a user-friendly way, to boot. Chances are you know about Zillow; its home value estimates, or “Zestimates,” on properties both for sale and not for sale are a helpful tool for home buyers. But there are many other sites that have a variety of features and tools, including filters for prices, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, square footage, and more. Plus, most of these sites have apps so you can check ’em from your phone. Here are some of the best sites for house hunters.

Trulia

I spent months casually checking both Zillow and Trulia daily before buying my first house a few years ago. Zillow bought Trulia in 2015, so the two websites are pretty similar and very easy to use. I would refresh the map of the neighborhoods I was interested in and their surrounding areas to see if there was anything new in my price range. I’d start with the map and then click over to the photo column, though you can view houses in a list format if you prefer, or view both side by side on a desktop. With Trulia, you can schedule a tour in person or over video chat, look at street views via Google Maps, or read school reviews, crime reports, and insight from residents.

Redfin

Redfin is similar to Zillow and Trulia in the sense that you can view houses in map or list format, and you can easily maneuver around the site. With information from the MLS, Redfin provides important details about each property, as well as a market competition rate and “walk scores” and “bike scores”, so you can see how dependent you might be on owning a car. And, if you buy a house with one of the real estate agents employed by Redfin, part of the commission is given back to you through a program called Redfin Refund.

Realtor.com

As the official site of the National Association of Realtors, Realtor.com is said to have the most up-to-date information available from the MLS. Along with property information and list vs. map views, this website provides market summaries and information about the neighborhoods and its nearby schools. I’d say navigating through the listings isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as Zillow or Trulia, but all the information is there if you know where to look for it.

Homefinder.com

Homefinder.com is another well-organized site — it presents listings by category, like new construction, foreclosures, and classifieds — but I found I couldn’t quite zoom in as much as I wanted on its map feature, which meant it took me outside the neighborhood I wanted. Though it takes an extra few seconds to zero in on the information you’re curious about, HomeFinder does what its name suggests.

Estately

Estately has been around since 2006, but I’ve only recently become familiar with it. It’s easy to use and provides the crucial information you’d want to know about a property, including nearby schools, taxes, flood risk, walk scores, “sound scores” (how loud the area is), air pollution, and even internet speeds. Properties not for sale might not be updated as often as they are on Zillow, but there’s plenty of useful information to be gleaned from this site.

Homes.com

If you ever searched for a rental on Apartments.com, then you’ll immediately recognize the Homes.com interface. Owned by CoStar Group, which also owns Apartments.com, Homes.com is similarly set up for people ready to buy a house. It provides in-depth guides about neighborhoods and schools for whatever house you’re looking at. With video tours, articles, and expert school ratings, these tools can help you better understand what it might be like to live in your potential forever home.

ForSaleByOwner.com

This site is a good complement to your main house-hunting websites because it lists homes for sale by owners that aren’t on the MLS. Although owners using ForSaleByOwner.com can add them to the MLS for a fee. It’s a good resource when you’re not finding exactly what you want during your daily searches. You just might come across a new listing not on any of the other sites because it’s for sale by the owner.

Read more at ApartmentTherapy.com

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If there is a home that you would like more information about, if you are considering selling a property, or if you have questions about the housing market in your neighborhood, please reach out. We’re here to help.

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6 Reasons to Look at Homes Outside Your Price Range

When you’re house hunting, budget is everything. It dictates how much home you can reasonably afford, and therefore which homes you look at.

After all, you don’t want to end up house poor or risk going into foreclosure because you couldn’t maintain your mortgage payments.

However, there are times when looking outside your budget does make sense. Here are six top reasons why you shouldn't be afraid to take a peek outside your price range.

1. You can’t find anything

In today's market, there's a lot of competition among buyers, especially in the lower price tier. In those cases, it makes sense to look up, and the difference might not change your financial situation by that much (make sure to confirm with your lender!)

2. Price isn’t the only factor

Ideally, you want to find a home within your desired price range, but staying under budget might not be as prudent as you might think.

For example, your kids may be in private schools, but if you move to the right school district, they can attend public schools, saving you thousands of dollars a year. Also, if you have to drive across town in bumper-to-bumper traffic for work or to shop, it might be worth it to pay more to save wear and tear on your vehicle and yourself.

3. You can learn a lot

Sometimes buyers have unrealistic expectations regarding move-in-ready properties in their price range.

4. You can see what might be in striking distance

If you find a home that is outside your range, there’s a chance that your agent can negotiate it down.

5. You may actually get a better deal

Sometimes, a home within your budget may not be as sweet of a deal as one that is supposedly out of range.

6. A higher amount might be totally manageable

There's no reason why you should try to live outside of your means; sticking to a budget is a smart money move. But it's important to put that budget into context.

For more information, go to Realtor.com

3 Reasons You Should Trick-Or-Treat if You're House Hunting

If you have kids or have ever opened your front door on Halloween night, you likely know that there are some unwritten rules we have about when it’s okay or not okay to go trick-or-treating.

Children in costumes being pulled in a red wagon—okay. Pack of menacing-looking teenagers—not okay. And then somehow trick-or-treating in college is again okay, with the stipulation that you’re knocking on your college buddies’ doors and not the doors of unsuspecting local residents who aren’t totally prepared for a gang in togas.

For the purpose of this conversation, let’s suspend any preconceived notions you may have about when it is and isn’t okay to be out in costume. If you are house hunting, trick-or-treating is a great idea, and here’s why.

(Note: A couple of adults with no children in tow will look suspect. If you don’t have children of your own, offer to take a friend or family member’s child out on Halloween night or ask if you can come along for the festivities.)

It’s a great way to scope out a potential new neighborhood. When else do you get the chance to go literally house to house without looking highly suspicious? Take this opportunity to really assess the area with a critical eye. Are there sidewalks for safe travel around the neighborhood, and if so, are they well-maintained? Are the streets well-lit when it turns dark? Do cars drive carefully around the area or are there vehicles speeding through? Do the neighborhood houses and yards appear lovingly tended to?

What about the people? If weather permits, are people out and about? On a night like Halloween, you should be able to get a great sense of how child-friendly a neighborhood is, if that’s something that’s important to you, by the holiday turnout. Are there lots of families trick-or-treating? If you have children of your own and are considering a neighborhood, it helps to know if your kids will have other children to play with (and who will likely attend the same schools, too). Who opens their doors and how do they interact with visiting kids? Whose lights all mysteriously turn off and curtains close each time the doorbell rings? Have folks decorated for the season? Most importantly, for the kids at least, who gives out the full-size candy bars?

You get to be undercover while you’re “investigating.” An adult traveling with a pack of kids on Halloween is an expected sight. You can come as you are with no worries about being the creepy person who drives too slowly in front of a house you like. Better yet, you can go incognito! Join the kids in the fun of dressing up and pretending to be someone (or something) else for a night. If you’re imaginative enough with that costume, you might sit across from prospective sellers one day to close on a house with them none the smarter that they’ve already interacted with you before.

Even grown-ups need some fun every once in a while. So, this one’s not directly related to trick-or-treating and house hunting. But it is relevant. If you are in any stage of a PCS, it can be too easy to forego fun because you’re up to your eyeballs in lists of things to do or you’re already beginning to live out of boxes and don’t want to even think about pulling out stuff that’s already been packed. If you’re in the middle of the deployment of a loved one, maybe you just don’t feel like celebrating holidays at all. And that’s totally okay. But sometimes fun is just what you need to take a break from all the “doing” and to enjoy “being” for a little bit. You can choose to be someone who goes trick-or-treating. And what’s not to love about a day when we get to play dress-up again and in exchange be rewarded with candy?

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