It’s not a stretch to compare house hunting to finding hand sanitizer and toilet paper during the last pandemic. Buying a house can be a difficult endeavor, but there are a few websites that may help make the process go more smoothly. Take, for example, online food delivery, which has brought restaurants together and made ordering meals more convenient. Booking a vacation place has never been easier with many online vacation sites available.

Similarly, a few real estate websites have simplified property hunting by bringing buyers and sellers together on one platform. You can take a virtual tour from the comfort of your own home! And now some sites will even let you make an offer from your sofa!

YourDealty:

Dealty is a platform where people can buy, sell and search for homes.

Dealty isn't a real estate brokerage, and it won't buy your house from you. It provides you tools where you can make decisions yourself. There are for sale by owner listings, agent listings, ibuyer listings as well as new home builder listings all in one place.

Dealty stands out from other real estate sites by refusing to sell user’s data. When you click on a listing, whoever is the lister, whether it’s for sale by owner, whether it’s a home builder, or whether it’s a brokerage, you will contact them directly. On top of that, it's completely free.

There are no fees associated with registering. Dealty understands how important it is for individuals to have a transparent platform. Dealty seeks to cut out the middlemen and provide buyers and sellers the freedom to operate and do business as they want.

Zillow:

Zillow has a special feature called the ""Zestimate,"" which is a proprietary estimate of a home's genuine value based on recent sales and appreciation in the neighborhood.

It's never been easier to get an estimate of monthly bills, such as mortgage payments, insurance, and property taxes, than it is now, thanks to Zillow. It also includes neighborhood information such as local schools, commuting times, and a walkability score.

The Zestimate from Zillow is a good starting point for determining the fairness of a home's price, but it's only an estimate, reaching out to a local agent can be more valuable.

Realtor:

It's another day of house hunting and scrolling through listings and you come across your dream home. Perfectly positioned on a quiet corner, spacious property with open space behind it, only a short walk to restaurants, pubs, the park, and area hiking trails. A pool in the backyard to soak up some sunshine and relax.

Only to discover that it had already been sold and that the listing had never been updated. Isn't it a real pain?

Realtor.com stands out because it pays close attention to statistics and data. You'll find up-to-date information on house values and additional information about the neighborhood and region.

Like Zillow, Realtor allows you to look for properties for sale in your neighborhood. However, it has one significant flaw. Its home search engine misses all of the ""for sale by owner"" listings.

Foreclosure:

Most people's largest financial transaction is purchasing a home. Many people believe that paying rent is ""throwing money away,"" so they want to buy a house as soon as possible. Dream homes aren't cheap, and homes in desired suburbs aren't any cheaper.

Check out Foreclosure.com if you're looking for an inexpensive house and aren't scared to do some DIY home renovation chores. This home-buying website is known for short sales. Most of the properties on Foreclosure.com need a lot of work, but there’s a chance you could get a deal.

The platform is not free to use, which is something to keep in mind. There is a 7-day trial period, but you must sign up with a credit card. It costs around $39.80 each month.