Real Estate Today and the Internet

By Chris Rosprim

The trend in real estate today with the presence of and the access to the Internet by a large and growing segment of our society and due to the computer savvy consumer is that a large % of individuals searching for a property (any type - residential / commercial, buy, sell or lease) will do a lot of searching on the Internet from the "get go".

The search may be limited to just finding a REALTOR or a real estate agency in a particular area (or several from which to choose) to represent them in their quest - whether they are buyers, tenants or sellers. Or the search may actually get into finding specific properties that meet the criteria of the buyer/tenant.

One of the best things a REALTOR can do is to have a presence on the Internet and be prepared to respond to inquiries from that medium. Certainly, a web site is important. Once a buyer or tenant finds a REALTOR (or more than one) then they can be of great assistance to the REALTOR with which they are working to identify some properties that they have an interest in learning more about and perhaps selecting several to physically inspect.

By selecting a REALTOR familiar with the area and working with that REALTOR a buyer / tenant that is savvy in browsing the Internet can often be of great assistance to the REALTOR in finding suitable properties that are of interest to them. Often times we REALTORS find that what a buyer / tenant may initially tell us that they want is far and away different than that which they ultimately end up buying or leasing.

Find a Realtor

Commercial sites are available as well but there are several national and many local sites from which to choose and no one system is predominantly used by all REALTORS everywhere in the same sense of the word as you find in residential real estate. A major player in the commercial arena would be www.loopnet.com and consumers can search by property type, area, city, etc.

Finding web sites for real estate offices active in a given geographical area or city can be a big help to the consumer looking for assistance from a professional active in their area of interest. Chamber of commerce sites can also be a good source of information and many will list the sites of their members and offer a link to get to them with a click of the mouse.

If you know people in a particular area - ask for recommendations and referrals to an agent or to a real estate services firm.

So - the word from this 30 + year professional REALTOR is sit back and let your mouse do the walking. Find a REALTOR online and help him / her out by finding some properties that suit your criteria. Your selected REALTOR will help you by finding out more specific information on those properties and arranging to show you the property(s) as well as to assist you in preparing and negotiating an offer.

By the way - make sure you are using a REALTOR as opposed to a real estate agent. The difference is important. A REALTOR must be a member of the National Association of REALTORS and their local Board of REALTORS and subscribe to a Code of Ethics. A real estate agent can be a real estate agent but NOT be a REALTOR. Be careful who you are dealing with.



Chris Rosprim
Scott Brown Properties
940-243-4000 | 940-382-9826
http://www.texasrealtyteam.com
chris@texasrealtyteam.com