Have you ever been bored in front of the computer and just started to look at the home listings available in your area? It's a fun thing to do between checking your email and doing work and it's now almost hard to believe that just a decade ago it wasn't so simple to view all of the properties that are currently available. And when browsing turns to seriously looking for your next home there are some great tactics for narrowing down your choices and making decisions on which properties you will explore further.

You might think that it's possible to browse through all of the real estate listings or MLS for homes in a large city in a matter of hours, but the truth is that most major cities have hundreds, if not thousands, of properties within their real estate databases. If you're going to be efficient during your home search than you're going to want to narrow down those choices before you even start glancing at individual postings.

The most common way that people pare down is by price. If you're a smart buyer than you've already been pre-approved for a mortgage and know what you can afford in terms of a home loan. While you might be tempted to see the homes that are just a little above your price range, you should know that this could be a slippery slope. It's better to reduce a couple of thousand dollars from the top of your range just to be safe in case you end up in a battle with other offers for the property of your choice.

Whether you're looking at condos in Vancouver or homes in San Francisco, there are likely areas of the city that you like better than others. A great factor in a home's price is its location within the city. If you're going to narrow down your home search according to neighborhood than you should try to keep it a little broader than your ideal street. You might find that you can find homes for up to $10,000 or $20,000 less just by moving over a few blocks or one extra mile.

Home searching online is one of the first steps to buying a home and you need to know what you're looking for if it's going to lead you to that right property. Have a list with you of what you need your real estate to include or what is most important to you in a great home. This will help you keep your priorities in order when you're faced with all the possibilities available.