House Hunters on the Internet - What's Next?

House hunters on the Internet by the year 2009 will explode into an industry-wide phenomenon. There are close to 80 million baby boomers (1946 through 1964) looking forward to retirement and the Internet house hunters industry will benefit. The "empty nests" and the economy will require people to move closer to work, closer to family, relocating to new jobs, cities or downsizing to a smaller residence. The next generation of house hunters will be the 66 million people (1965 through 1984) with growing families, job promotions and relocations. The Internet today is a valuable tool for the consumer and more people are becoming aware of its usefulness in the necessities of life. We are a nation on the move!

House Buyers will benefit:

The house hunters of the Internet today are astute researchers with almost any information available to them at their fingertips. Sites on the Internet can pinpoint homes for sale in any area of any city with pricing and detailed information on each home. Web "virtual walk-through" will let the house hunters know in advance if the home is what they are looking for, saving valuable time, money and energy in their search. Prospective house hunters can secure a loan and become pre-approved for the purchase, before contacting a real estate agent.

Internet sites can let house hunters know in advance the safety of surrounding neighborhoods, comparison prices, market trends, schools, crime statistics, income levels and commuting times. Some Internet sites rate certain streets and areas for neighborly spirit and night life, cleanliness, noise levels, traffic, public transportation, medical facilities, child care, and parks. Users can post pictures and videos as well.

House Sellers will benefit:

House hunters with existing homes for sale will benefit from a world-wide exposure as never before. Even if the house hunters wish to sell their own home, listings with Internet sites can afford all the benefits of multi-listings. One site has a category of "Make Me Move" in which an owner can price their home, if their home is not on the market, but would consider selling at the right price.

Real Estate Agents will benefit:

One can only imagine the frustration a real estate agent must experience when showing homes to prospective buyers. What a pleasure to work with house hunters knowledgeable about what they want, where they want to live and financially approved to purchase!

In conclusion:

Decisions are less stressful on individual families due to the vast amount of information available at our fingertips on the Internet today, with more to come in the near future. Real estate house hunters and house sellers are two groups able to fully utilize this resource. With the availability of laptop computers, records of current listings can be easily accessed upon arrival at the new location and working with a local agent is advisable.

Sources:
www.realtors.com
www.futurerealestate.blogspot.com
www.zillow.com
www.homesbyowner.com
www.schoolmatters.com
www.familywatchdog.us