Selling homes on the Internet is easier than ever

Many homeowners are selling their homes online

There’s no getting around it - buying a home and selling a home are complicated propositions. The product is expensive, numerous legalities are involved, and the decision to buy is not one that would-be homeowners take lightly. Over the years, the process of selling homes has largely been taken over by real estate professionals, who take the time to drive potential buyers around from one property to the other in order to see if it meets their needs.

The explosive growth of the Internet is changing the dynamics of home sales, however. Recent studies show that nearly three out of four buyers now use the Web in some way in the process of buying a home. 

Here are some examples of how the Internet helps with home sales:

• Photos - Extensive photographs and descriptions are available for most properties offered for sale on the Internet. Potential buyers can look at numerous photos and detailed descriptions of properties without even leaving their homes. Some sites even offer 360º “virtual tours” that allow them to view a room from all angles. Buyers can also look at other properties in the same area with just a click of the mouse.
• Pricing data - New sites, such as Zillow.com, offer extensive real estate pricing information. You can not only check the values of houses you are thinking about buying, but you can also look at the values of other houses in the same neighborhood that are not for sale.
• For sale by owner - The Internet, and its greater exposure to potential customers, makes it easier for homeowners to sell their property themselves, rather than listing through agents or real estate companies. Some sites, such as FSBO.com, are devoted exclusively to the sale of homes by owners.
• Long distance viewing - Live in New York, but need a home in California? This problem used to involve a lot of plane travel. Now buyers can shop for property across the country or anywhere in the world simply by going online. The Web has no concept of distance, so the house across the country is no less accessible than the house next door.

While the Internet certainly makes it easier to shop for a house than it used to be, surfing the Web is no substitute for actually viewing the property in person. You can use your computer to view properties and screen out ones that don’t interest you, but once you have narrowed down the selection, you should probably take the time to visit the property in person. That way you can actually see the neighborhood, get a better view of all things that might concern you, and get a better overall impression of the property. Some things are OK to buy over the Internet, but others are best purchased in person.

While viewing a home in person is still a necessary part of the house buying process, the use of the Internet has contributed greatly to speeding up and simplifying the overall process of buying a house. It’s still tedious; you can spend hours or days viewing properties, either online or in person. But the process isn’t nearly as cumbersome as it used to be, thanks to modern computer technology.