we took the easy way out and got an agent but we have a lot of great local resources like www.cnyhomes.com , www.cortlandmls.com and www.uticaromerealtor.com that use MLS services (multiple listing) so that we can see everything that meets our criteria... you should have similar stuff in your area, check your real estate edition from your local paper and that should point you in the right direction. but i recomend using a real estate agent, they can save your ass in a lot of ways and it costs you nothing to use them