If you are house hunting, you do not need to go anywhere but online, using your tablet or smart phone.
The Times Online reports that according to National Association of Realtors (NAR), in 2014, a total of 43 percent of home buyers bought a house they have found online, which is a huge leap compared to eight percent record way back in 2001. Backtrack to 1964, 40 percent of those buying homes had to rely on newspaper ads to find a home while 7 percent had to drive around to look for an open house.
Kathe Barge, associate broker with Howard Hanna Real Estate in Sewickley, says, "Buying and selling homes has evolved dramatically in the past two decades, thanks to the ability to view homes online. The vast majority of buyers use online searches at some point."
In these modern era, the NAR says that 90 percent of real estate firms have websites, making it easier for those looking for home to check out houses as easy as checking their social media accounts such as Facebook. The added convenience of online financial calculators and other community details such as links to school districts make it more feasible and practical for buyers to initially browse online to find their dream homes. It is easy enough to do and in addition, you will not miss out on a hot property the moment it is out in the market.
Barge added, "The buyer has the ability to know almost instantly when a home is listed. Sellers also benefit because their homes are exposed to more buyers; people love to surf the real estate pages online and many a buyer is born from a 'just looking' consumer who stumbles upon the home of their dreams."
Being a home buyer, just imagine the time you'd save. Mike Miller, a Realtor with SWC Properties in Bridgewater says, "Time is precious these days. The ability to sit casually at home, in a café, or elsewhere viewing homes helps move the process along."
The downside is that bad photos can deter the potential buyers regardless how great a home is and if you are planning to buy a house, it may look great on the photos but what about the other factors such as the noise?
Perhaps the best thing to do is to look around online and then ask an expert or a realtor for help, conduct a house visit an make other pertinent inquiries.
How about you? Are you ready to buy your dream house yet?
