House Hunting Tips for Looking Online
It’s no secret that most homebuyers now start their home search online. In our competitive market, a suprising number of buyers are making offers on homes “sight unseen”. There are some tips to keep in mind when browsing, serious house hunting, or even buying based on information from the internet.
Hunting for a new home online is a great place to start your search. But looking online should not be your end all be all. Good listing agents are excellent at highlighting the best features of the home. So the savvy buyer will keep in mind there may be more than meets the eye. To make the most of your time and efforts and gather a well-rounded picture of home listings online, keep the following three things in mind.
Three House Hunting Tips:
TIP 1: Stay up to date.
When you start your search, make sure you find a site that pulls up-to-date listings directly from the multiple listing service (MLS). The MLS is where real estate agents actively post their most current homes for sale. Many online resources update less often or fail to remove listings that are off the market. Outdated infomation makes it more difficult to sort through the clutter.
TIP 2: Pictures can be deceiving.
Most real estate professionals know that high quality photography is important in getting activity on a listing. These agents either develop their photography skills or hire professional real estate photographers. Real estate photographers are experts at showing a home in the best possible light. Many professional photographers use tools and strategies to boost appeal. You will notice techniques such as a fisheye lens to view a wider area which also creates an illusion of larger space. In addition, creative editing can make colors and textures really pop. But, often listings will not contain photos of unappealing parts of the home, like small closets or outdated bathrooms. However the opposite can also be true! In our busy and active market, many listings do not have high quality phtography. In these cases you may bypass your perfect home based on less than perfect staging and photography.
TIP 3: See it to believe it.
Once you find what appears to be your dream home online, call up your real estate agent and schedule a showing. You want to take the opportunity to vet the home in person. Be sure to explore every part of the home before beginning the offer process. Your real estate agent will help you cover all your bases and will ask questions you may not have thought of and guide you through the process to make a reasonable offer on the property.
What’s Next?
Looking for a home? You can view this updated list of currently active homes for sale in our area. Also, you can sign up for regular updates as soon as new listings come on the market: