Browsing for Homes Online: Is it a True Panacea?

Part of the promise of the Internet is that it can save people time when they are searching for goods and services they need. With a few clicks and a fast connection you can browse 100s of sites for 1000s of items. So, it is no surprise than many people use the Internet to shop for a new home. Well, there are several precautions one should take when shopping for a home online. Here are some things you should know as you browse those listings.
• Not all websites keep their listings current: Be sure that the site you are searching keeps current listings. Some sites update their listings as often as every hour or so. This means that some listings are likely to be far more up to date than others. After all, you don’t want to get your heart set on a property that is no longer available.

• What you see is not always what you get: Cracked floorboards, busted boilers, and leaky pipes can easily be concealed when pictures of a house are posted online. After all, what you are seeing online is the best representation of what the seller wants you to see. This is why an online search should be supplemented with in person contact with the property, the buyer, the realtor, etc.

• Understand the value that a local realtor can give you: A local realtor can steer you away from homes with hidden issues and from online listings that are too good to be true. Moreover, a local agent is much more likely to have knowledge of the local market you are shopping than an online real estate database site would.
The bottom line is that shopping for a home online is not necessarily a bad thing. However, it should be supplemented with actual in person interactions with an agent and by attending open houses where you can see the home you are interested in up close and in person. In other words, take the listing on the mass home indexing sites with a grain of salt and use common sense as you would with any major purchase. As a Moorpark realtor with many Moorpark homes for sale, I can help you in your search for the perfect home by giving you information that you cannot otherwise obtain with a brief search through the online home aggregating sites.