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Hole 10 · Back Nine — Execute

Search Strategy

A good search starts with a short list of non-negotiables, not an endless scroll of listings. This hole covers how to set up alerts that actually match your criteria, when to widen your search radius, and how to avoid touring homes that were never really in range.

7 min read · Free, no signup

Written by Isaac Ortiz · Real Estate Broker · Compass | NWMLS #146754

Sort your non-negotiables before you touch a search filter

Before you set up a single alert, separate what you actually require — commute limit, bedroom count, school boundary, no major repairs needed — from what you'd simply prefer. Buyers who skip this step end up touring homes that were never really in range, because their filters were built from wishes instead of requirements.

  • Requirements: things you won't compromise on, full stop.
  • Preferences: things that are nice, but solvable later or negotiable.
  • Write both lists down before your first search alert, not after your tenth showing.

Set alerts to your real criteria, not a broad guess

A search set too wide buries the homes that actually fit under dozens that don't; a search set too narrow means you miss good options in an adjacent neighborhood or price band. Build your alert from your non-negotiables and your buying power range from the last hole, then refine weekly as you see what's actually coming to market.

  • Too wide: real matches get buried in noise.
  • Too narrow: you miss good options just outside your filter.
  • Refine weekly based on what's actually listing, not what you assumed would.

When to widen your search — and when not to

Widen your radius when you're not seeing enough listings to compare, not when you're frustrated by a bidding war you lost. A wider radius should still respect your real non-negotiables — commute or lifestyle limits don't loosen just because a nearby area has more inventory. Widening blindly usually means touring homes you were never going to buy.

  • Good reason to widen: too few listings to make a real comparison.
  • Bad reason to widen: frustration after losing one offer.
  • Keep your non-negotiables fixed even as your geography expands.

Track how fast homes move in your specific price band

The overall market pace matters less than how quickly homes in your exact price range and neighborhood are going under contract. A slow-moving market overall can still have a hot pocket at your price point, and vice versa. Watching your specific band tells you whether to move fast on a good match or take your time.

  • Your price band can behave completely differently than the market headline.
  • Track pace for your specific target area, not the citywide average.
  • This pace read feeds directly into Hole 11's touring approach and Hole 12's offer timing.

Mastery check

Prove it out before you move on.

Caddie

Before you play through — quick read of the green:

3 quick questions. Get all but one right and this hole is marked played. Unlimited retries — there's no penalty for missing one.

Question 1 of 3

What should you sort before you set up your first search alert?

Question 2 of 3

When does it make sense to widen your search radius?

Question 3 of 3

Why track pace in your specific price band instead of just the overall market?

Still stuck? Ask the Caddie.

Hole 9: Market FundamentalsHole 11: Touring & Evaluating