Talk of the Town - Househunt online October 28 2000

It’s never been easy to find just the right house — one that’s the right size, in the right location, at the right price. It still isn’t easy, but in this digital age, at least some of the research can be done from the comfort of your own living room (or wherever you log on to the information superhighway).
Before you start cruising neighborhood streets, fumbling with paper and pen, ignoring the honking horns from the line of cars behind you, go online. Sort through the many options on real estate websites with listings that can be searched by price, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, school district and geographic location. Some listings may not give full information (for example, the specific street address), but sites like Homes.com and Newhomenetwork.com let you do some of the initial search and elimination work.
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, take a look at exterior photos, get property details and directions to the house, calculate your mortgage payments and even take a “virtual tour” of some listings — a slightly distorted view of what you would see if you were standing in the middle of various rooms and turning around slowly.
Many Atlanta area real estate agencies have websites with their own set of local listings, and other sites like www.realtor.com have listings that are part of the Multiple Listing Service, a comprehensive database that allows your agent to find information on properties listed with other real estate companies. Search listings of homes for sale by owner at www.by-owner-ol.com and www.fsbo.net to get advice on how to buy a home without engaging the services of a real estate agent.
In addition to finding a home, websites like www.owners.com assist you in the preliminary steps of purchasing a home. Find out how much home you can afford, check your credit report, look at recent home sales in the area, see neighborhood information, get pre-qualified or apply for a mortgage, compare interest rates and get advice on everything from making an offer to final inspections. Some sites even have definitions of real estate terms in Spanish and English.
The information at www.realestate.com is targeted to real estate professionals, but homebuyers can also get free property reports, credit profiles and more. Many financial sites also have good information on the aspects of buying a home: www.fool.com (The Motley Fool), and www.kiplinger.com are a couple.
Sign up at www.iown.com for e-mail updates of current mortgage rates, new home listings and recent sale prices for homes in any neighborhood. At www.propertyview.com you can pay for a detailed comparison of your target property with similar properties in the same neighborhood to help you determine a property’s fair value.
Choosing a home isn’t entirely rational. You may want the kind of house and neighborhood where you grew up — or exactly the opposite. It isn’t easy to balance head and heart when making such an important decision. But today’s electronic tools can help make home hunting and buying a bit more manageable.