Who doesn't like looking at new spaces and envisioning a different life? Browsing real estate listings and taking a peek at other people's homes has become a popular pastime during the pandemic, as both as distraction from our everyday lives as well as a way to engage in some armchair travel. With weekend open houses currently on hold, just how are we going to satisfy that craving? Besides replaying the SNL skit on the thrill of looking at listings on Zillow, the following sites allow you to do just that.

SOCIAL MEDIA STARS

Not sure where you're going to live after that lottery win? Homes of the Rich can help. Begun in 2008 by Kenny Forder, at the time an 18-year-old obsessed with the luxury real estate market. HOTR, as it calls itself, has United States and international listings. In addition to single-family dwellings, the site features apartments and condos too. There is also a section devoted to celebrity-owned homes on the market.

McMansion Hell is another fun destination chock filled with some of the worst examples of what’s on the market. Kate Wagner is the snarky genius behind the site that skewers some seriously dubious architectural choices.

But what about the listings that leave you scratching your head and wondering just how can people find something useful, tasteful or at all a good idea? Zillow Gone Wild, hosted by Samir Mezrahi on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, collects submissions and posts them on the account giving credit to contributors. These have included a house with a dungeon, one with an indoor trampoline and one that literally was on fire.

Still waiting for your ship to come in? Cheap Old Houses has your back. Elizabeth and Ethan Finklestein have parlayed their 1.4 Instagram followers into an eight-episode HGTV series. They hunt for recently listed homes across the United States that are under $100,000. The site also allows you to choose your own old-house adventure by subscribing to different categories, such as Cheap Old Houses Abroad. Another fun feature is their Cheap Old Houses Saved section highlighting homes that are being restored to their former glory.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL OUTLETS

The Real Estate section of the New York Times comes out weekly and is filled with the 411 on all things New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. "The Hunt" column presents you people looking for their new home. After presenting their search criteria, there are three properties for you to consider. You are then invited to choose where you would live and vote as to where they should live. The big reveal comes at the end, and it's almost always a surprise.

Meanwhile, there is the Real Estate section of the Los Angeles Times. There is a heavy emphasis, as you would expect, on the homes of celebrities. You can subscribe to a newsletter that will fill your in-box with the inside scoop on the homes of the rich and famous.

Home Hunts is your connection for all things real estate in France, Monaco, Spain and Switzerland. Founded in 2005, it represents buyers for high end luxury properties abroad. Thinking of a vineyard in France? A Swiss ski chalet? Or perhaps a pied-a-terre in Paris? This is the website for all your continental daydreams.