Clearly most people today are using the Internet to search for a new home. But where exactly do they turn most frequently for their information? Their local multiple-listing service website is the top place home buyers look for homes, according to the National Association of Realtors. Below are the results of a 2012 survey they did. The following are the most popular websites used in a home search according to the survey. They are in order of popularity.
The Most Popular Home Search Websites
- MLS website
- Real estate agent website
- Realtor.com
- Real estate company website
- Other listing websites
- Search engines
- Mobile or tablet apps
- “For-sale-by-owner” sites
This tells me that home sellers should be asking their realtors exactly where they are listing a home for sale online. And they should focus on the local MLS website and the realtor’s website.
It also tells me that as usual “for-sale-by-owners” represent a small slice of the market. People are not looking on their websites, and are not finding their homes for sale as much as a home that is listed with a realtor.
The bottom line is that it seems not many people spend a day in a car with a realtor anymore, driving around different neighborhoods and homes, getting into the homes and looking at them physically. Being in a car with the realtor has been replaced by surfing Internet sites on your own. When the buyer gets focused on one that they are interested in seems that is when they engage a realtor.
Brian Martucci is a loan officer for Capital Bank Home Loans, a division of Capital Bank, N.A. He has been in the mortgage industry since 1986 and has served in a number of roles, including loan processor, loan officer, mortgage broker, branch manager, and vice president. Brian Martucci – NMLS# 185421. His opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Capital Bank Home Loans or Capital Bank. Capital Bank, N.A.- NMLS# 401599. Click here for the Capital Bank, N.A. “Privacy Policy”.
