Jennifer Lopez Has Kids Tag Along with Her & Ben for More House Hunting

Ben Affleck is a man about town with Jennifer Lopez playing co-pilot as they continue to look for the perfect home for her -- and their latest stop featured a much-needed 3rd (and 4th) opinion ... from none other than her kiddos.

Bennifer was house hunting again Friday (on J Lo's behalf) ... this time cruising through what we're told was an upscale neighborhood in Santa Monica -- not too far from where Ben currently stays in the Pacific Palisades. Just like a couple days ago, Ben was in the driver's seat ... and Jen was mapping things out on her phone -- navigating him through SM's busy streets, we're sure.

The big difference this time, though, was the fact that her two children were tagging along for the stop-in. 13-year-old Emme and Max were in tow with their mom and what looked to be bodyguards/handlers ... who were also present for the tour of a place they ended up peepin'.

Check out the picks of the two tykes running into the crib -- a house that we're told was nice and all ... but not nearly as gargantuan or ritzy as the $65 million palace, among others, they were scoping Thursday in Holmby Hills. The price tag is that high for a reason.

No word yet on how much this new potential pad they saw Friday might cost -- but we've been told it appeared "modest" compared to the cribs the couple had just seen a day prior. Hey ... just 'cause she's filthy stinkin' rich doesn't mean she can't be smart with her dough.

At any rate ... something tells us Emme and Max offered some great insight that'll probably weigh in heavily on where J Lo ends up settling down. Like we told you -- this place would be just for Jen and the kids (for now) ... and it looks like her move West is all but guaranteed at this point, based on all the circumstantial evidence we've seen lately.