Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Internet has radically changed society. In real estate, this has led to a massive increase in properties for sale by owners on the web.
For sale by the owner and the web
In the past, choosing to go the “For Sale by Owner” path could be incredibly difficult and authoritative. Real estate agents dominated the market because they had proprietary access to the multiple listing service, known as MLS, and you had to be listed if you wanted your property to be seen. Fortunately, the Internet has made selling a home yourself incredibly easy in a number of ways.
If we go back 10 years to the days before the Internet, we would find a real estate market that seems foreign to what we have today. In that market, the number one method of selling your home was to list it on the multiple listing service controlled by real estate agents. This, of course, allowed them to get their hooks and squeeze in a commission regardless of the quality of service they provided. If we anticipate the present, we find a new landscape.
A 2005 study of home buyers in the United States revealed a fact that most real estate agents are reluctant to admit, but they know it exists. More than 70 percent of home buyers search for potential properties on the Internet. Yes, seven out of 10 go online and find the property of their dreams. Why? The reason is very simple. Would you rather drive all over town looking at houses that really don’t match what you are looking for and spend your precious time or would you rather just sit at your computer and click on properties with pictures? Unless you really like to drive, the answer is obvious.
In our modern society, time is the most valuable asset. Listing your property on the internet is a huge time saver because it’s all point and click. If you are selling, you can upload descriptions and images for buyers to see. If you’re shopping, you can view pictures of both the interior and exterior of potential properties as you relax at your desk. Either way, it’s better than sitting in traffic while driving all over town.
