Make a list. Check it twice.

Touring homes is exciting, exhausting and – after enough of them – often confusing. By the end of the day, your memory may become fuzzy so you won't be able to remember if the house with the fabulous kitchen had three bedrooms or four, or which house had the spot for the garden you've always dreamed of.

That's why we've developed the Real Living Home Tour Checklist. Print extras so you can complete one for each home you tour and use it to track important details such as square footage, condition and age of the roof, and noise level of the neighborhood.

And while you're looking at the features you want in a new home, be sure to step back and consider the bigger picture – the permanent attributes – of the house. Remember that while you can change superficial elements like wallpaper, paint color and window treatments, you shouldn't discount them completely. Keep in mind that even minor remodeling can cost both time and money. Conversely, don't let outward appearances alone keep you from a house that would otherwise be a perfect fit.

If you've taken good notes, your Real Living Home Tour Checklists will be a great tool moving forward in the home-buying process. Keep them handy, refer to them often and be sure to share them with your Real Living agent so s/he can continually refine the types of homes s/he's researching for you.