How to Search for Property Online
- 1). Navigate to a real estate search engine. Popular sites include realtor.com, zillow.com, century21.com, coldwellbanker.com, truilia.com and realestate.yahoo.com. These websites have property search interfaces with dialog boxes and drop-down menus that let users customize the search criteria.
- 2). Select the kind of property you are searching for, such as apatrments, land, duplexes, condos, co-ops, multi-family buildings, lofts, houseboats and single-family homes.
- 3). Set the location for your desired property. Most property search engines let users supply complete or partial addresses, cities, states, counties, neighborhoods or zip codes. Others might let users select a search range by picking the maximum distance from a specified point.
- 4). Enter your desired price range. Most property search functions have a dialog box to set the range, while others might have a drop-down menu.
- 5). Type or click on the drop-down menu to select the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you want if you are searching for a single-family home.
- 6). Type or click on the drop-down menu to select the minimum square footage, acreage or lot size.
- 7). Click on the "search" command or press the "enter" key to run your search.
- 8). Input advanced search parameters if you want to continue narrowing the search results. Most property search engines have an advanced search link adjacent to the basic search engine on the home page. Some advanced search parameters include new homes, age of property, auctioned homes, price reductions and whether it is owned by a bank.
- 9). Sort the search results to find properties that best fit your criteria. Many property search engines can sort results by price, time on the market, list date, size, address and number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
