Rightmove - Tips and tricks needed for searches.

Tunstallstoven

Hi all

I've started to use RM to find a house to buy. I've just stumbled upon the "Drawn Areas" map... What a great idea! And I've put a bunch of filters on to narrow the search down.

I've not been looking for very long, but I have noticed that the filters are not working all that well. For example, I have selected Detached and Bungalow, but then the odd Semi-Detached house is listed. This has got me to wondering whether the same is true in reverse (Detached houses and bungalows have been omitted).

So my first question is how reliable are the filters?

Secondly, I noticed that when I search a massive area that comes back with a tonne of results, there are only 42 pages when there should be 100s/1000s. Does anyone know how this works and how RM caps searches?

Thirdly, any other tips and tricks when it comes to searching, or any links to good tutorials?

I should probably add that we are looking for a rural location with land (1.5 acres minimum), and with no immediate neighbours. From what I can see RM does not help you narrow down to these types of properties, which has left us wading through flipping loads of houses!

Many thanks for reading and for any suggestions...

Tigsteroonie

I learnt not to search using 'detached' 'semi-detached' 'bungalow' as it all depends how the agent has listed a house. For example, where does chalet bungalow fit? How about semi-detached chalet bungalows? Is the end house of a run of four houses a semi-detached or an end-of-terrace?

I found it more reliable to search for all types of house and skip past the ones that didn't fit my idea of the type of house I wanted.

Doozergirl

I agree with above. It's best not to filter too much as agents often list things incorrectly.

Once you've done your first big search and saved the favourites, you only need to search on new additions. Where we're looking there's barely even one a week coming up!

ReadingTim

Garbage in = garbage out, so if the EA (or whoever uploads the listing to RM) doesn't tick the right boxes then the site's filters aren't going to pick it up properly. And given general the legendary attention to detail the EA profession is known for.....well....it's probably best not to filter at all, other than by your own eye once the search results have come in.

G_M

I wish they'd introduce a key word search function (Like Prime Location does).

hazyjo

I found it really useful to use the notes section to remind myself why I'd discarded a house. I'd often forget, or they'd change the photos round. No the ones I liked, I'd add the prices too so I could see if they'd dropped (or increased!) the price without me noticing.

The drawn area is very handy. I was only looking in a very small area of Leigh-on-Sea so it was much needed!

boliston

i always use "map view" as that means you can narrow it down to the exact area you want

DaftyDuck

G_M wrote: »

I wish they'd introduce a key word search function (Like Prime Location does).

Try using Google Advanced Search on Right move instead of the internal search....

moneyistooshorttomention

The EA's are useless (whether by design or otherwise) at accurately describing the type of house.

By now I've figured out the best way to make sure that at least most of the houses that come up under "detached" actually are "detached" is to be sure to put in a minimum price, as well as a maximum price.

Just putting in "detached" in a search of my home area, for instance, will bring up lots of mobile homes as well. Not what I had in mind! So I've realised mobile homes there start at £25,000 and go up to around £150,000. By now I know the detached houses start at £250,000 and the ones I'm actually interested in (if I had the money - which I don't......) will be in the £350,000-£500,000 range by and large. There are literally one or two beneath £250k and the absolute cheapest (last time I looked) was £230,000.

Moral of that story - put in a minimum price of £225,000 and, in that particular area, that will knock all the mobile homes off the list and a few of the semis.

So apply the same sort of logic to what you're looking for - varying your minimum price you set to be at the level of the lowest price you could possibly find available for what you're after.

Davesnave

Seagull27 wrote: »

I should probably add that we are looking for a rural location with land (1.5 acres minimum), and with no immediate neighbours. From what I can see RM does not help you narrow down to these types of properties, which has left us wading through flipping loads of houses!

It was a while ago now, but we never cracked that one. At one time our search area spanned parts of 7 counties!

Then there were the agents not on Rightmove, but 'maybe' on another portal, or maybe not. Some seemed to be in and out faster than the hokey-cokey: people like The Smallholding Centre and Rural Scene.

Even price didn't prove a lot of help, because the one we eventually bought slipped under what I'd set as a 'realistic' minimum for the area.

I found it the old way; in a newspaper! I still have the ad.

Smodlet

It really does depend on the EA who listed the property. You would not believe how many mid-terraces are described as "detached" when they could not be less so.

Maybe try contacting Escape to the Country? (Other property programmes are available)