Keep in mind I still have central vision in my left eye (as was the case when I bought my place):

When I started working, I started looking for a house to buy. I'd saved up a deposit through uni thanks to my pension, casual retail work, and then a PhD scholarship (not that I finished my PhD, I quit). So I had a price range (my deposit to be no less than 20% the value of the property).

Next up: location. For a sighted person, easy access to all amenities (shops, public transport etc) is great. For blind/vision impaired, it's essential for independence. I wanted a place that was walking distance (5-15mins) to the supermarket and public transport, and that public transport would get me into the city (Adelaide has a central business district that's about 2km² surrounded by suburbs for days) within 30 minutes. That narrowed down my suburb selection.

Preoperty type was easy: Torrens title (detatched home) or Community title (usually semi-detatched home with common area needing strata to cover public liability insurance, possibly sinking fund etc, e.g. common driveway. You own the building and the land though, not just the building as is the case with a Strata title). I also wanted nothing much older than a decade (less maintenance cost, nicer in general).

Regarding interior, with such an age range things are quite standardized. I wanted bright interiors because my condition means my low light/night vision is shot - modern builds cover this well. Rooms, I was after at least two but preferably three bedrooms. That's just a personal preference. I live on my own, but I've plenty of hobbies, also it's an income source if you want it to be (which it was for three years, let them out to my brothers, and brother's mate).

In terms of searching for options, online listings. I'd go through, open up everything that was in my price range in the suburbs I was interested in. I'd then briefly flick through the pictures to what I really wanted to see, which was the floor plan. It annoys me so much when property listings don't have floor plans. That is, in my opinion, the single most important thing to include with the listing. The write ups are always the same really, but they can be useful for those key phrases like "up and coming suburb" (it's a patchy area), "great for investor or the first home buyer" (an older property on the smaller side), "renovators dream" (do not buy, it's a dump) etc. I'd then use Google maps to see where the property was relative to shops, public transport etc.

When it came to viewing, my grandfather offered to drive me round and check them out (which was great because it meant cruising in his Mercedes CLK 240, which was a really nice car. We went for lunch after too, on him). It was more about the utility of his car than anything else, as I said, I still have central vision in my left eye (though it is worse now than it was then).

Ultimately if you're buying newer properties (anything built after 2000 really), designs are very standardised (at least, they are in Australia), so all it really comes down to is location, whether you like the floor plan (i.e. space is used well, there aren't areas that are compromised because of the positioning of doors etc), and price.

So with the exception of the increased importance on location, and the desire for mad brightness indoors, pretty much the same as a sighted person goes about purchasing property.

And, yes, I did purchase one of the properties I viewed with my grandfather. Been there over four years now and couldn't have picked a better spot. 2mins to train station (max 20 mins into city, major shopping centre 4mins back down the line, then 10min walk), 5mins to bus stop (25mins to city, or 20mins to beach with shopping, restaurants), 5-10 mins walk to supermarket (plus bank, post office, bakery, chemist, Cheesecake Shop, and a few other things besides), and the all important bottleo (liquor store if you're from North America, off licence if you're form the UK) round the corner.

My wife and I are currently in the process of buying a new house. I'm sighted but she's blind. She mostly uses sites like realtor.com or Zillow on her iPhone. We've finally picked a house and it was one she found first and sent to me. She relies entirely on the description of the property. Just like with any home buyer we had a list of needs and wants and she looked for those items in the description. If she read something she liked she would send me a link and I'd take a look at the pictures. Then we'd go from there. Not sure if that helps at all.

Browse a listing site for 20 minutes before realizing you can't afford a down payment on disability.

Everyone looks for something different in a home, sighted or not. You can always call the realtor with questions. I'd wager price and location are the two biggest factors for any buyer.

Personally, I look for places with a nice kitchen with high gloss paint (to prevent mold) and washer/dryer hook ups. I don't care about lighting or colors because I rarely entertain. Stairs aren't a problem. A place for a garden would be awesome (I use my apartment balcony currently.)