How to search for a home without accidentally narrowing yourself into a corner
Window Shopping: Your First Step to Finding the Right Home
If you’re thinking about buying a home in Berea, KY, one of the first things you’re probably going to do is start looking online.
You open Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, or another real estate website.
You start scrolling.
Then you start changing the filters.
Maybe you decide you want:
• A certain price range
• A certain number of bedrooms
• A specific neighborhood
• A certain amount of land
• A garage
• A newer home
• A particular school district
Before long, you’ve narrowed your search down to a handful of houses.
That’s actually not what I recommend doing.
When you’re first starting your home search, I want you to cast a wide net.
Then, over time, we’ll eliminate the things you don’t like until we get you to the right house.
Start With a Wide Search
Let’s say you think you want to live in Berea.
Great.
Start there.
But don’t necessarily limit yourself to one subdivision, one neighborhood, or one tiny geographic area.
Look at:
• Berea
• Richmond
• Other parts of Madison County
• Surrounding communities
• Different neighborhoods
• Different price ranges
• Different types of homes
This doesn’t mean I’m trying to talk you into living somewhere you don’t want to live.
That’s not the point.
The point is to give you context.
You might think:
“I absolutely want to live here.”
Then you start looking at nearby areas & realize you can get more house, more land, or a different type of property for the same money.
Or you may look at those other areas & decide:
“Nope. Berea is definitely where I want to be.”
That’s valuable information, too.
We’re not trying to find your perfect house on day one.
We’re trying to figure out what you actually want.
Figure Out Your Comfort Zone
The other thing I want you to figure out is your actual comfort zone.
Not just the number a lender gives you.
Not just the number you typed into a mortgage calculator.
Your actual comfort zone.
There are two numbers I care about:
1. Your comfortable monthly payment
What monthly payment actually fits into your life?
2. Your available cash
How much money are you comfortable putting toward the purchase?
Those two numbers help determine your realistic search range.
And here’s something important:
Your maximum budget isn’t necessarily your target budget.
If a lender says you qualify for $350,000, that doesn’t mean you need to spend $350,000.
You still have to live your life after you buy the house.
Don’t Automatically Max Out Your Budget
I would much rather see you buy a house that fits comfortably into your life than stretch yourself to the absolute maximum because a lender says you can.
Think about:
• Your monthly payment
• Property taxes
• Homeowners insurance
• Utilities
• Maintenance
• Future repairs
• Your other debts
• Your savings goals
• Your family
• Everything else you spend money on
The goal isn’t:
“How much house can I possibly buy?”
The goal is:
“What house makes sense for my life?”
Now Start Eliminating
Once you’ve cast a wide net, here’s where window shopping gets really useful.
Don’t just make a list of everything you think you need.
Make a list of the things you hate.
Maybe you hate:
• Busy roads
• Stairs
• Small kitchens
• Long commutes
• HOAs
• Lots of yard maintenance
• Older homes
• New construction
• Certain layouts
• Being too far from town
• Not having enough land
Whatever it is—write it down.
Because when we know what you don’t want, we can eliminate properties much faster.
Go Look at the Ugly Houses
This is one of my favorite pieces of advice:
I’m serious.
A house can look terrible online & still be a great house.
Maybe the listing photos are bad.
Maybe the house is cluttered.
Maybe the photography doesn’t show the layout well.
Maybe the house just doesn’t photograph particularly well.
Online does not equal in person.
I’ve seen homes that looked fantastic online but didn’t impress me when I walked through them.
I’ve also seen homes that looked completely uninteresting online that were much better in person.
So don’t automatically eliminate a house because the pictures aren’t great.
You might be eliminating the exact house you would have loved.
You’re Not Looking for “The One” Yet
This is probably the biggest mindset shift I want you to make.
When you’re window shopping, you’re not looking for your dream home.
You’re gathering information.
You’re learning:
“I like this.”
“I don’t like that.”
“This neighborhood isn’t for me.”
“I actually like older homes.”
“I thought I wanted three acres, but one acre is plenty.”
“I don’t want to be this far from town.”
“I definitely need a garage.”
Every house teaches you something.
Even the houses you hate.
Especially the houses you hate.
Think of It Like Trying on Wedding Dresses
Here’s an easy way to think about this.
Imagine going wedding dress shopping without knowing your budget.
You try on a $5,000 dress.
It fits perfectly.
You love it.
It’s the dress.
Then you find out you can only spend $1,500.
Now every $1,500 dress is going to feel disappointing.
That’s what I want you to avoid with houses.
Know your financial comfort zone before you fall in love with something outside of it.
That’s why getting approved is an important step before you get too far into your search.
What I Want You to Do
If you’re just starting to think about buying a home, here’s your homework:
1. Start looking online.
Don’t worry about finding the perfect house.
Just start learning what’s available.
2. Search a little wider than you think you need to.
Look at nearby communities & different price ranges.
3. Pay attention to what you like.
Save the houses that catch your attention.
4. Pay even more attention to what you DON’T like.
Those are the things that will help narrow your search.
5. Go look at houses in person.
Once you’re ready, don’t judge a property entirely by its listing photos.
6. Keep adjusting your search.
Your search should get narrower over time, not start narrow & stay narrow.
The Goal of Window Shopping
At the beginning, your search might look like this:
Berea + Richmond + surrounding areas
↓
Several neighborhoods
↓
Several types of homes
↓
Several price ranges
↓
Eliminate what you don’t like
↓
Narrow down your preferred areas
↓
Narrow down your preferred homes
↓
Eventually, you know exactly what you’re looking for.
That’s when house hunting becomes much easier.
You’re no longer looking at every house that comes on the market.
You’re looking at the houses that actually fit you.
One Last Thing
Don’t feel like you have to have everything figured out before you start.
That’s what this process is for.
If you’re still months—or even a year or two—away from buying, that’s okay.
Start learning the market now.
The more you see, the more you’ll understand.
And when you’re finally ready to make an offer, you’ll be making that decision with context instead of emotion.
Ready for the Next Step?
Once you’ve started window shopping, the next step is learning how to tour properties & what I recommend looking for when you walk through a home.
Next: Tour Properties →
Or, if you haven’t figured out your financing yet:
← Get Pre Approved
And if you want to talk through your specific situation with me:
Book a Buyer’s Consultation →
I’m Devin, a native Berea, KY REALTOR®, & I’m here to help you understand the process—not just find you a house.
