Real Estate and the Internet

REAL ESTATE AND THE INTERNET

When it’s time to sell, it is essential that your home be prominently marketed on the Internet. Here’s why:

According to the National Association of Realtors®, buyers are increasingly using the Internet as a way to research and find the homes they purchase. Particularly in the Bay Area, it is rare when a prospective buyer doesn’t consult the World Wide Web.

Proportion of Buyers who found their Home on the Internet, 1995 – 2003 *

	In 1995, less than 1 percent of all home buyers first found the home they purchased online.
	That proportion doubled every two years from 1995 to 2001.
	In 2003, 11 percent of buyers first found the home they purchased online.

Use of Internet to Search for Homes *

	In 2001, 41% of home buyers used the Internet at some point during their search.
	In 2003, just two years later, 71% of all home buyers used the Internet at some point in their search for homes, with 42 percent of those folks reporting that they used the Internet frequently.
	Now the percentage of prospective buyers in the Bay Area nears 100%. Almost all buyers now search the internet to learn the market before they buy.

You can do the math. It’s not difficult to see why the Internet has become the most important vehicle for marketing property, and its use is increasing daily.

There are several good ways for buyers to search for homes. If you’re looking outside of the Bay Area, the National Association of Realtors® official web site, www.realtor.com, is the largest national database of listed properties. If you want to see what homes are going for in Peoria, or anywhere else in the USA, this is where you’ll find out.

Locally, there are several good sites. Naturally I recommend my company’s web site, www.redoakrealty.com, for access to all homes listed for sale in our regional Multiple Listing Service (not just Red Oak Realty listings). There you can search for homes by specific cities, zip codes, price, size, or many other features. You can even register to receive e-mail notices of new listings which meet your criteria the instant they come on the market.

I prepare a special section for each of my listings on my personal web site, www.bobblumberg.com. I am able to distribute detailed information and photos (always worth a thousand words), even short video flash presentations, to large numbers of people quickly and efficiently. In addition, both my company site and my site have direct access to the Multiple Listing Service.

Of course, a listing on the Internet is of no value if no one can find it. So all of my marketing pieces – MLS listings, newspapers ads, flyers -- direct buyers to my web site for photos and more information. There is always a sign rider on my listings with my web address, so neighbors and drive-by buyers can access complete information about the property and even have a tour of the interior without having to feel shy about talking to an agent. My listings also appear on other real estate web sites, including the two mentioned above, with links back to my web site for more detailed information and photos. The results have been so successful that the Internet has become the centerpiece of my marketing program, exposing my listings to hundreds of serious potential buyers daily.

Today making smart use of the Internet when selling your home is a “must”!

Bob

*Source: The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® 2003 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

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Bob Blumberg
Red Oak Realty
1891 Solano Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707
510-527-0344

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