What you should really know about browsing for homes online

188 Wolf Neck Rd Stonington - Private 9.5 acre estate. Cape Cod style home. 5 BR, 4.5 BA. Kitchen open to family room. 4 fireplaces, DR & Library. Home office with separate entrance. Guest house. Barn. Outbuildings. Pond. In-ground pool w/ hot tub. $554,000 50 Cove Rd. Stonington - Waterfront on Quiambaug Cove. Pristine condition. Rebuilt in 2000. 3 BR. 2.5 BA. 2 fireplaces. Sunroom. Granite kitchen. Master BR w/ balcony. Dock, ramp, float & launch. 2 2-car garages. Central air/vac. $950,000 221 Elm St. Stonington - Light bright Cape w/4 BDs 3 FBs, hardwood flrs, SS appliances and marble countertops. Skylights, in upstairs BR, fenced backyard, slate patio and 2 car detached garage. No flood insurance required. Walk to the Borough. $429,000 17 Island Circle Groton Long Point - 2BR, 1 BA, kitchen, dining & living room. New blinds & ceiling fans. Moor your small boat across the street. Enjoy all the amenities of Groton Long Point. $655,000 By Mathew Lisee Sponsored by: Eastern Connecticut Association of REALTORS®

Oh, let's just admit it, shall we? Browsing for homes online is a window shopper's Shangri-La. The elegantly decorated rooms, the sculpted gardens, the colorful front doors that just pop with those "come hither" hues. Browser beware, though: Those listings may be seductive, but they might not be giving you the complete picture.

That perfect split-level ranch? Might be too close to a loud, traffic-choked street. That handsome colonial with the light-filled photos? Might be hiding some super icky plumbing problems. That attractively priced condo? Might not actually be for sale. Imagine your despair when, after driving across town to see your dream home, you realize it was sold.

So let's practice some self-care, shall we, and set our expectations appropriately.

YOU KEEP CURRENT. YOUR PROPERTY SITE SHOULD, TOO

First things first: You wouldn't read last month's Vanity Fair for the latest cafe society gossip, right? So you shouldn't browse property sites that show old listings.

In eastern Connecticut, Homesnap is an app you can use to search local listings straight from the Smart MLS where real estate agents post listings for sale statewide. Or you could search Realtor.com®, which pulls its information from the same source every 15 minutes. Some brokerage firms have their own websites with listing feeds. Your real estate professional can confirm whether the listing information is accurate. The point is, you wouldn't want to get your heart a flutter for a house that's already off the market.

THE BEST PROPERTIES AREN'T ALWAYS THE BEST LOOKING

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. But what they don't say is a picture can also hide a thousand cracked floorboards, busted boilers, and leaky pipes. So while it's natural to focus on photos while browsing, make sure to also consider the property description and other key features.

Each realtor.com® listing, for example, has a "property details" section that may specify important information such as the year the home was built, price per square foot, and how many days the property has been on the market.

Ultimately though, ask your real estate agent to help you interpret what you find. The best agents have hyper-local knowledge of the market and may even know details and histories of some properties. If a listing