House hunting online is a great place to start your search, but it should not be your end all be all. Good listing agents are excellent at highlighting the best features of the home. Keep in mind there may be more than meets the eye. Also, in a fast moving market, you won’t want to rely solely on your own online searches. Properties can come on the market and showings and contracts can start rolling in minutes later. You’ll want to enlist the aid of a professional Realtor®. Your Realtor® will watch the market and alert you of any new properties that might match your wish-list. In any case, 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.
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). real estate agents actively post their most current homes for sale on the MLS. Many online resources update less often or fail to remove listings that are off the market. That makes it more difficult to sort through the clutter. Our real estate website at www.donpeterson.com updates from MLS at least every 5 minutes. It’s an excellent choice for staying up to date. You can also mark your favorites, and viewing visual tours of any property available through the local MLS.
Pictures Can Be Deceiving
Photos are one of the most effective ways to get people interested in a property. Real estate photographers are experts at showing a home in the best possible light. Many use tools and strategies to boost appeal, such as a wide angle lens to make areas look larger and creative editing to 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 But, often listings will not contain photos of unappealing parts of the home, like small closets or outdated bathrooms. But don’t let that discourage you. Instead, proceed to the next step…
See It To Believe It
When you find a home online that appeals to you, call your real estate agent and schedule a showing. You want to take the opportunity to vet the home in person and explore every part of it 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.
Ready To Get Started
Ready to get started down the path to your new home? We’d love to add another dimension to your house hunting online and help you navigate the market! Give us a call today!