Long story, I'm moving from Indiana to Oregon mid January with my dad and a couple of friends. And, I have to say, I'm at a total loss. We need at least a four bedroom, 1.5 bathroom place, and since my dad is a truck driver by profession, I'm the one in charge of finding a place and getting things together. And he recently added one extra stipulation- He intends to buy the place before we head out there.

Normally, I'm down with the house hunting gig. I have had friends drag me with them across the state to look at a home with them because I know what to look for better than most of our peers, but. NEVER have I had to do this kind of thing from this kind of distance. We have family and friends in Oregon, or we wouldn't be going there, but they're all pretty busy people and wouldn't be able to check out the place ahead of time for us.

Any thoughts or pieces of advice would be helpful. I haven't moved cross country like this since I was a little kid, so everything is kind of a wreck right now.

If you're planning on buying, be willing to hire an inspector. Research and read reviews on the inspectors in the area and pick one out yourself. Have the person take numerous pictures everywhere. They're going to check things out anyways.

If you don't know the area well, research. Use google maps, and while you should depend on your friends and family for answers, don't let their personal bias become yours. Extend what the internet has to offer and figure out the areas.

Find out if there is a local news website. In my area there is a website that basically all the locals use, and if you aren't using it, you're selling yourself short. A lot of places have this, and if there are forums, even better.

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Woah, to buy a house before inspecting it... that's taking a heck of a gamble! No wonder you're feeling pressured. I'm a little stunned that someone would buy a house without checking it out thoroughly. I hope you can find someone you can trust to take a proper look around any places. You would want every inch of the place photographed, if you couldn't be there to inspect it yourself. Definitely try to find someone who can check it out on your behalf.

I actually spoke to my dad about this, and he liked the idea of hiring an inspector ahead of time.. I'm not sure how to find one. Do you think a gov. office could direct me to an accredited one? Do they accredit things like this? It is a mystery, and there are a billion and a half on the internet that I don't trust.

I know well enough to not trust realtors, at least. I caught one trying to sell my friend a house with a cracked, crumbling basement for well over market value, not even two months ago. Should have been condemned years ago as it was. If I can't find some sort of accredited inspector willing to deal with real estate, though, I might have to rely on family. Ech.

Ouch! Yes, definitely can't trust realtors :( Hopefully your family can help, or you can find someone else willing to help. It just seems like a surprising gamble :(

First step is to make a list of them in the area, access the online phone books, 411s, etc. Utilize google. Make up a list, then begin to use google, friends, family, and any local forums, to stalk them. Find reviews anywhere. Yelp, etc.

This is where a local forum would come in really handy. But without it, relying on reviews is good. Once you've narrowed your list, check their licensing. I'm not sure in the US what boards and organizations manage education and things for them, but try talking with the city about it.

my advice to you is look on every realty website until you find the perfect house that you think everyone would like. show your dad and your friends that you're moving with pictures, and get some yes and nos here and there, so you know you're going in the right direction. once you find the house that you fancy, i would suggest calling/emailing or contacting anyway and ask for more pictures of the house. say that you're interested, and they'll help you the best you can, since it's their job. tell them that you're shopping from a distance, and can't physically go see the house. once you find the house, call your friends and family out there, and just see if there's a slight chance that they can go check it out. it never hurts to ask! that's the only advice i can really think of, but i hope it helps somewhat! i honestly love house hunting online, but i think it's because i'm so eager of moving out of my current house d: if you ever need some help finding a perfect house, let me know! i have some website that can really help you c:

Ohman So, thusfar I've actually accumulated a list of about 20 places in and around the area we're moving, actually, and I've been trying to get their opinions but they aren't giving them... which is increasingly frustrating, considering we're moving in almost exactly a month from today. Thank you for at least reminding me, though. I was considering asking the agents for more pictures, so I can whittle the list a little more... And surprisingly, google earth. It's not always the best option, but it's actually helped me knock two houses off so far. One didn't seem nearly as small from the pictures, and the other was uncomfortably close to a car garage. Like. Centimeters. I doubt I could stick my arm between the two buildings. Yeck.

I actually really love house hunting in general- And I've had fun with it online in the past... But it sucks when there's this much distance between me and my potential base of operations for the next... who knows how many years.

yeah, that's very true. i bet you want to pick the perfect place from the distance that you're at. i wish you the best of luck c:

You could always look for rent to owns if you are not entirely sure about buying and if you do contact a realtor you could require them to skype you around the house/area before you close the deal. A lot of things can be done over the internet before hand including neighborhood research. Its a great idea to google earth the neighborhood before you purchase. We did that before we toured them to see if we were wasting time or not. If you do have friends or family in the area maybe request a list of acceptable neighborhoods or the neighborhoods they live in so at least you'll know the area is good so then you can just focus on the house. Just my ideas! Best of luck to you on your search!