Looking at houses in the age of technology

There are now dozens of ways to research and see houses before you actually schedule a showing to see one in person. These sites have pictures, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, year built, and updates and improvements. Most even are available via a mobile app.

To name a few websites: http://www.trulia.com/ , http://www.zillow.com/ , http://www.realtor.com/ , http://www.homes.com/ , http://www.remax.com ,  http://www.craigslist.org , and thousands of agents' personal websites have MLS search engines on them such as www.troywalseth.com

Another excellent way to research is to check with the county tax assessor's website to see the different permits that have been pulled over the years, any additions done, and if/when the roof was replaced.

This way, you can eliminate the need to physically go see 50 houses with a Realtor and you can narrow down what you like and dislike about certain properties. On many of these sites, you can even log in and save the properties you are interested in and share them with whomever you like.