[dangrossman]

#1, #2 and #5 just mean starting with Zillow, Trulia, or any other site that lets you search using a satellite map. You enter your price range, # of bedrooms and other requirements, then zoom in and start scrolling the map through neighborhoods you'd consider. The price tags appear above the houses that are for sale/rent, and you can easily see what direction they face, whether they're on the corner and whether they have a garage.

You can pan through the map of an entire county in under an hour.

http://i.imgur.com/IGqE2Zg.jpg -> http://i.imgur.com/o1CJbiv.jpg

This is the easiest and most enjoyable part of the home search IMO.