Shopping for Your New Home on the Web

The Internet has made it easier and faster to get information on all sorts of things. Buying a home is one of them. With just a few clicks of your mouse, you can access a wealth of homebuying information and resources.

Using the Web to shop for your new home definitely has its advantages, including:

• 24 hour availability
• Access to specific information about the location – including community information and local businesses and services
• Real estate listings and information
• General information about homebuying, financing and home ownership

You name it, it’s out there. As you would with any resource, always double-check the information you get from the Web, ensuring it is both up-to-date and accurate. Below are some hints and tips for finding the information you need.

Getting Started

One of the first things you need to do when looking for a home is decide where you’d like to live. In many areas, you can use the Internet to check local civic information such as city/county tax information and school information, including total student population and student-teacher ratios. Several web sites, like homeadvisor.com and REALTOR.com, provide in-depth information on neighborhoods, average home prices, cost of living and crime rate statistics.

By Owner or REALTOR®?

If you’ve decided to buy a home on your own, the Web can be a great resource for finding homebuying “checklists” to get you through every step of the process. If you need a REALTOR’s help, you can use the Web to research real estate agencies in your area and learn how to find the REALTOR that’s right for you.

Finding Your Dream Home

You scanned the newspaper, talked to friends, even drove around the neighborhood…all to no avail. The Web makes it fast and easy to find your new home. You can check listings of homes for sale, complete with current prices, photographs and descriptions of the property. Looking for a single-family home with three bathrooms and five bedrooms? Just enter your criteria to do a quick search.

In addition to homeadvisor.com and REALTOR.com, many real estate companies have their own sites showing their home listings and services. Ask your agency for their Web address.

The One You Want

So, you’ve found the home you want. Now, it’s time to get down to business. Use the Web to research historical data on recent home sales in the area. Once available only to REALTORs, this information helps you find the sales prices of homes similar to yours in the area – which can help you negotiate the best price for your new home.

Before you finalize your sale, there are a number of steps you’ll need to take to make sure your new home is in good repair. Search the Web to find notifications of any home product recalls or class-action settlements. You also can use the Web to find a closing attorney, home inspector, professional appraiser, and more.

Help with the Big Move

Help on the Web doesn’t end when you’ve found your perfect home. Once you buy, you can find great information online to arrange your move, notify the post office and others of your new address, get help connecting your utilities, and even peruse handy instruction for making home improvements. A quick search using your Internet browser can uncover more Web-related resources in your area.