Sixteen homes. Three days. Three counties.
It sounds like a productive relocation trip. You've taken time off work, booked a flight, arranged childcare, and made a spreadsheet of homes that look promising online. Why not see everything while you're here?
Because more showings don't necessarily mean more clarity.
When buyers reach out to me about relocating to South Central Kentucky, I understand the urge to pack every available hour with house tours. But a house is more than a floor plan. You're also choosing the community you'll run errands in, the commute you'll drive on a normal Tuesday, the daily rhythm your family falls into, and the lifestyle that comes with it. That's exactly why I like to narrow the list before you ever land. Touring fewer homes doesn't mean fewer options. It means less noise, and less noise makes it easier to recognize the right house when you walk through the door.
“We're not eliminating options. We're eliminating noise. Because more isn't always better.”
What does the research actually say about how many homes buyers tour?
The National Association of REALTORS reported in its 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers that buyers typically viewed seven homes during their entire search, including two viewed online only, and spent a median of 10 weeks searching. That's a useful reality check when someone proposes touring 16 houses in one long weekend. But it's important to read the number correctly: seven is a national benchmark, not a scientifically recommended limit, and it includes online-only views. Relocation buyers with a short travel window may simply need a different plan, and that's where I can help.
There is no credible universal study that says people lose clarity after exactly five, six, or eight in-person tours. What the research does show is that how choices are organized can matter a great deal.
The psychology of too many choices
In a widely cited 2000 paper, psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper found that people sometimes acted more readily, and felt more satisfied, when choosing from a smaller selection rather than a very large one. Their experiments weren't about real estate, but the insight translates surprisingly well to house hunting.
Later research adds an important qualification. A 2015 meta-analysis by Alexander Chernev, Ulf Böckenholt, and Joseph Goodman examined 99 observations involving 7,202 participants and found that choice overload depends on factors like complexity, decision difficulty, and how certain you are about your own preferences. More options are not automatically harmful in every situation. But I'd challenge anyone to say they didn't feel the weight of the decision during a cross-country move. That complexity alone can make a choice feel far larger than it otherwise might.
Think about what that means when you're weighing homes across several towns. Every property brings its own variables: location, layout, lot, condition, schools, commute, taxes, dining and shopping options, healthcare access, and price. When you haven't yet figured out which community fits your life, every additional listing becomes another series of complex decisions to make. By the end of an overloaded tour, you may remember loving a kitchen and yet not remember which house it was in, or even which town. That's a plausible practical risk, even if it isn't a lab-measured number.
“Sixteen showings don't automatically make you a more informed buyer. They may just make you an exhausted one.”
The mistake: choosing the house before choosing the lifestyle
A beautiful listing can distract from the questions that determine whether you'll actually enjoy living there. Do you want to be close to restaurants, shopping, and activities? Do you value acreage, privacy, and a quieter pace? How much driving feels reasonable on a normal weekday? Do you want a neighborhood setting or a rural property with room to spread out?
Bowling Green, Franklin, Glasgow, and the communities between them can offer very different day-to-day experiences. A home that looks perfect on a listing page may be a poor match for the life you're trying to build.
“Don't fall in love with a house before you understand the life you'll live outside its walls.”
Our approach: lifestyle first, location second, listings third
This is why our process starts with the life, not the listing.
- Lifestyle: define what everyday life should feel like. Before anyone books a flight, we talk through what prompted the move, the must-haves, the deal-breakers, work arrangements, budget, household needs, and what an ordinary Tuesday should look like. This is where the most valuable narrowing happens. If you absolutely insist your new home have a finished basement, then be prepared not to look at homes that don't have it. We are just setting ourselves up for failure and frustration by adding homes we know won't work for you.
- Location: understand communities before scheduling showings. Next, we compare areas based on the buyer's own priorities: travel times, services, property types, amenities, and other objective considerations. We share local resources, community information, and videos so buyers can explore before they arrive, and we encourage buyers to independently verify the details that matter most to them, like school assignments.
- Listings: build a deliberate shortlist. Only after those conversations do we curate homes. We review online listings, layouts, maps, property information, and likely deal-breakers together, group tours geographically, and leave room for discussion, revisits, and getting to know the community.
“The goal isn't to see every house. It's to eliminate the wrong ones before you ever land.”
What should a three-day relocation visit look like?
A thoughtful visit might include an orientation to a few promising areas, a manageable number of carefully selected home tours, and time to drive potential commutes or visit the places that matter to your routine. We can adjust the schedule when a buyer's circumstances require more showings. There's no magic maximum. The point is to spend your limited time testing the right questions and getting a feel for the area most likely to be the right fit, not racing through an unfiltered list.
A productive trip should help you answer: Can I picture my everyday life here? Which community feels right? Which homes are worth a second look? What still needs to be verified before I make an offer?
Before you book the flight
Start the conversation early. Identify the lifestyle you're seeking, compare locations, set a realistic budget, and let your agent help sort the promising listings from the distractions. Keep an open mind and let the search evolve as you learn.
The smartest relocation trip doesn't start at the first front door. It starts with a decision process long before you arrive.
If you're considering a move to Bowling Green or South Central Kentucky, the Living in Kentucky Team can help you explore the communities, refine your priorities, and plan a purposeful visit. Start with our relocation resources at Living in Kentucky Team and book a consultation with us.
Frequently asked questions
How many houses should I tour in one day?
There is no research-backed universal number. The right pace depends on travel distances, property complexity, your preparation, and how much time you need to reflect. Quality matters more than a fixed count.
Is touring 16 homes in three days always a mistake?
No. Sometimes a time-limited buyer needs a broad schedule. But 16 scattered homes without clear location and lifestyle priorities can make the trip less useful than a focused plan.
When should I contact a relocation agent?
Ideally before you book travel, so your visit can be organized around the communities and properties most likely to fit.
Research and sources
- National Association of REALTORS®, 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, home-search highlights: https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/2024-11/2024-profile-of-home-buyers-and-sellers-highlights-11-04-2024_2.pdf
- Iyengar, S. S., & Lepper, M. R. (2000). When Choice Is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11138768/
- Chernev, A., Böckenholt, U., & Goodman, J. (2015). Choice overload: A conceptual review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consumer Psychology: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.08.002
Editorial note: The showing strategy and suggested itinerary reflect professional practice, not a scientifically established daily showing limit. Verify any newer NAR figures before updating the article.
Written where it happened
Questions like these are what Melissa answers daily for relocating families. If this post matches yours, send it her way and get the personal version.
