by Broderick Perkins
© 2010 DeadlineNews.Com
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Deadline Newsroom - Nearly nine out of 10 home buyers can't be wrong -- browsing for housing online puts listings at their fingertips, speeds the home-buying process, and comes with an educational bonus.
"As more people go online to look for homes, it helps the Realtor too. The buyers are able to refine and narrow their search of homes by the time they contact a Realtor. We look at it as good teamwork," says Jeff Barnett, vice president and regional manager of Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Gatos.
The California Association of Realtors (CAR) reports that 84 percent of home buyers use the internet as a significant part of the home buying process, according to its 2009 Survey of California Homebuyers.
But transforming digital digs into a real home of your dreams isn't just about bandwidth and educational content.
"Shopping online helps the buyers initially determine what type of home, location, and amenities they want," says Michael A. Sibilia, a broker with Keller Williams Realty in Campbell.
"However, I don't think shopping online will ever replace the traditional home buying process, but it does supplement it," added Sibilia, president-elect of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors (SCCAOR).
Using the Internet to buy a home comes with the same prerequisite necessary for any buyer -- get financing locked down first. A home buyer with an approved mortgage -- obtained online or off -- has a negotiating edge and the financial boundaries necessary to help keep focused on a home that's truly affordable.
Only then is it time to surf for shelter.
DotHomes.com, a listing site with Google-like search features, offers these tips to help buyers get the most out of their online home shopping experience.
• Leverage the broker. Brokers and real estate agents are the housing market's matchmakers. They've honed local expertise and online tools to help you research, browse and focus your online search. The tools put you in touch with broker blogs, emailed updates tailored to your search, market reports tailored to your market, how-tos and other information.
"Shopping, online or offline, is only the first phase of the home buying process," says Karl Lee, SCCAOR's 2010 president.
"Realtors who understand the current market dynamics will guide buyers in analyzing market value, and more importantly, determining what the home is worth to the buyer," said Lee, also broker/owner Realty World Results Pros in Milpitas.
• Search in real-time. Get property listings and other information electronically "fed" to you via RSS (really simple syndication) feeds, email alerts and Web updates. The updates are an adjunct to your own time spent online. Alerts keep you abreast of the newest listings and reduce your need to repeatedly manually check the Web for updates. Use Blackberries, iPhones and other smart phones to remain connected when you are on the go.
• Search "fresh." Avoid fringe listing sites that don't update frequently and are far removed from the original online broker's listing. Web sites that don't link to the original listing, lock you away from updates.
"My pet peeve is, still to this day, my clients call me on a listing that is either pending, withdrawn, canceled, or worse, sold and closed months ago," says Pat Kapowich, broker/owner Kapowich Real Estate in Cupertino.
• Refine your search. With so many listings on the market, both traditional listings and distressed properties, quickly navigating them all is a chore. Use online tools and Web sites that allow you to refine your property search. Search by street, square footage, pet friendly condos, etc. Be specific with search terms like "new roof," "three-car garage," "established landscaping," "new kitchen appliances," etc. to find the property with the features you need.
Along with the well known national listing Web sites from trade groups, large private listing portals and real estate companies, the local multiple listing service's (MLS) public access portal (in Silicon Valley, that's MLSListings.com) are among the best places to search on line because they use standard formatting and strict guidelines about adding and removing listings in a timely manner.
• Screen home movies. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video, a virtual open house, looks like a million bucks. Videos offer a much better sense of the proportions and the feel of a property. They can also play the starring role -- as a sort of 24-hour open house -- on a Web site or blog specifically dedicated to the listing. What's more if you buy a home with it's own Web site and virtual tour, you can ask the seller or agent to gift the Web site or blog to you.
Also read:
Net ease doesn't guarantee bargains
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Broderick Perkins, an award-winning consumer journalist, parlayed 30 years of old-school journalism into a digital real estate news service, the San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group, including DeadlineNews.Com, a real estate news and consulting service and Web site, and the Deadline Newsroom, DeadlineNews.Com's news back shop.
Perkins is also the first Examiner to cover three beats for the Examiner.com news service:
• National Offbeat News Examiner
• National Consumer News Examiner
• National Real Estate Examiner
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