Jeremy Turous and Harper Luke enjoyed their year together in Japan. They traveled across the country, studied the language and took fun trips around the region, including one to Thailand, where they got engaged.
The couple went abroad for a temporary assignment for Mr. Turous’s job as a design engineer in the auto industry. When the time came to return to the United States, they knew it would be to Columbus, Ohio, the city where they’d met and had a strong network of friends. Ms. Luke had family in the area, and the U.S. office of Mr. Turous’s company was nearby.
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There was one major complication: If they wanted to have a house ready for them when they returned, it would mean searching from 6,500 miles away.
“We were both nervous about buying a house that we hadn’t seen in person,” said Ms. Luke, 32, who works in marketing.
To make it happen, they would have to rely on online photos and their agent’s advice, including cross-time-zone consultations about when to make an offer.
Early on, Ms. Luke’s family members tagged along for some of the showings, but that proved logistically complicated. “I think very quickly, we realized this isn’t feasible,” Mr. Turous said. “Between the open house and the time when the offer is due, there’s not enough time for this.”
Their agent, Andy Malone of SCOUT Columbus, had earned Ms. Luke’s trust a few years earlier when she worked with him to buy her first home.
“With how quickly the market moves out here, it was difficult just to say, ‘OK, let’s get over there, get some videos,’” Mr. Malone said. “So there were a lot of late-night phone calls for them.”
The couple wanted an older home with character near Columbus’s network of bike trails. The best bet was Clintonville, a neighborhood north of downtown with well-kept houses, a lively vibe and locally owned restaurants.
With a budget of around $400,000, which they could stretch to $450,000, they wanted a move-in-ready place with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a garage. A big yard would be a bonus, and about 1,500 square feet seemed ideal. They were especially interested in homes built in the Craftsman or Arts and Crafts styles that retained some original details.
Among their options:
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