10.16.2002 :: Real Estate News
Using the Internet to Buy Your Next Home
by Brigitte Eaton

Back in 1996 when i was buying my first home, I attempted to search for it over using the Web. It wasn't easy. There were only a few sites out there, mostly realtors advertising their services. Try as I might, I couldn't find any listings online and was forced into travelling from San Jose to Santa Cruz in order to pick-up homes magazines.

Thankfully, the Web has changed a *lot* since then. There is a wealth of useful sites available to help with your home search. Unfortunately, prospective home buyers are now overwhelmed with thousands of sites, most of which aren't very helpful. I can't even count the number of cookie-cutter realtor sites that I've looked at only to find that there was no useful information to be found.

So, what's a home buyer to do?

First and foremost, you should visit Mlslistings.com. MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service. All the realtors in Santa Cruz County enter their properties into this database. Don't even bother looking at listings elsewhere. They're probably not up-to-date or as comprehensive. Most realtors and brokers only list the properties they are selling and the national sites usually charge realtors to list their properties.

Now you've been to MLS Listings and you know what type of house you're looking for but, the thought of visiting the site everyday in order to search for new ones has you running from your computer. Thankfully, there are quite a few realtors that offer a handy new email search service. After registration, where you let them know what you're looking for, new listings get sent to you automatically via email. Simple, easy and no effort.

What I like most about the Web is the anonymity. I don't want to give out my phone number and address until I'm actually ready to speak to a realtor. This means that if I'm forced to supply that info up-front, I just leave the site. I want to test out a service without having a realtor call me constantly. The only service that I've found which lets you try it out anonymously is SantaCruz-RealEstate.com Personal Home Search. If you're like me and want to remain anonymous, I highly recommend it.

Besides actual property listings, the Web is extremely useful for doing research. Both for neighborhood descriptions, school information, general information about the process of buying and selling your home, mortgage calculators and tips. Good real estate broker and realtor sites will have sections that supply links for this kind of info, and there are also the nationwide sites like Realty Times or Homes.com. You can also find many useful articles and links right here on SantaCruz-RealEstate.com.

So you've done your research, you've checked out the property listings and you think you've found the perfect house. Now what? Most first-time buyers, myself included, think that they need to call the agent that listed the property that they want to see. Even some home buying veterans still call a different realtor for each property that they want to view. What most people don't realize is that *any* realtor can show you that home. In fact, it is in your best interests to select one realtor and put him or her to work for you. After all, you're paying their commission and they have access to a lot more detailed information about different properties.

You may have heard the terms "Buyer's Agent" and "Seller's Agent". A Buyer's Agent represents *you*. S/he helps find you the perfect home at the best price possible. A Seller's Agent (the listing agent), on the other hand, represents the people selling their house. S/he is responsible for the marketing of their house and is trying to get them the most money out of the sale. Although many realtors are honest enough to handle both sides of the transaction, there is definitely a conflict of interest. My advice, once you're ready to move forward, get yourself a Buyer's Agent and avoid the pitfalls of calling numerous Seller's Agents.

Which brings me to the final thing for which you should use the Web. Researching agents in order to find the right one for you. What should you be looking for? Someone who will provide the best service to you, who understands your needs, who you trust and who you feel comfortable with. You can tell a lot about an agent just by looking at their website. How useful is their site and what services can you get via their site? Realtors that understand how you will be using the Web in your home search and try to make that task easier for you are already displaying the good qualities that you should be looking for. How does the realtor describe him or herself? You can get information about their background and their sales tactics just from reading what they've written on the site. If they sound pushy on their website, chances are they are pushy in person. Try to get a feel for the realtor's personality based on what they've got online. You'll be much more likely to click when you finally get around to talking to them on the phone or in person.

I hope this information will help you use the internet to find your next home. Happy hunting!