For the last 25 years or so people have been able to search the internet and find houses that are for sale. The internet is a wonderful tool and I use it every day to stay on top of the real estate market.
Finding a house that is for sale is just one step in the home-buying process. It is the easiest step because in most cases all a buyer has to do is search the internet to find a home for sale.
Most of the houses were put on the Internet because they were listed with real estate agents who are required to put them in the MLS. The listings are then fed to sites like Zillow and Realtor dot com.
Knowing that a house is for sale is one thing but buying it is something else.
People want to see the house and they want to know how much they should offer and they want to know how to write a winning offer.
Often sellers require some proof that the buyer can perform. Most offers are accompanied by a pre-approval letter from a mortgage lender.
The buyer might want to have the house inspected and ask for repairs. How long should an inspection period be? Which repairs if any should the buyer ask for?
Even with the internet, I spend hours giving people advice because they ask a lot of questions.
Real estate agents also help people get ready so that if they do find that perfect house that they want to buy they can buy it.
If you decide to work with a real estate agent, experience matters. We learn something from each client we work with. Experience is all real estate agents have to sell because anyone can find a house for sale by searching the internet.
I have over 22 years of experience selling real estate and have helped hundreds of clients successfully buy and sell residential real estate.
