Online House Shopping
Start the process online, but don’t finish it there.
Buying a new home can be a daunting task — and it can take a lot of your time too. From the initial decision to buy to the final closing day, it’s a process with several long steps. But while online house shopping can simplify the process, you should be aware of these pros and cons before you begin.
First, the Pros of Online House Shopping
- Narrow it down: One of the first things to consider when planning a new home purchase is where you want to live. You might want to stay in a particular school district or to be within walking distance of your favorite parks and shops. Perhaps your dream home sits surrounded by stately trees. You could be drawn to a neighborhood with wide sidewalks meandering past older homes with large yards. Maybe you’re looking for a planned community, with a more contemporary feel and custom-built houses. Whatever your criteria, you can go online and look at everything from crime statistics to aerial views of most any area. It’s also easy to compare it with similar neighborhoods.
- Convenience: Online house shopping allows you to browse homes whenever you have time. You don’t have to stay in constant contact with a real estate agent to find out what’s new on the market, when various homes sold and other important data. And you can even take virtual home tours without even leaving your sofa. Even a generation ago, who would have thought you could “walk through” your potential new home on a mobile device while waiting for your child at soccer practice?
- Economy: Money and time are two things you don’t want to waste. Online house shopping can help you decide which potential houses are worth looking at in person. This can be especially useful if you’re planning a long-distance move, as it can reduce the number of trips you need to take before making your final decision.
Cons of Online House Shopping
- Buyers beware: Online home listings and information can be a great starting point, but they probably won’t tell you every detail you need to know. Shopping in person lets you get a feel for your new home and the neighborhood. There’s nothing like being there to investigate all the nooks and crannies for potential problems not visible online.
- The personal touch: When you work with a real estate agent from the start, you can get personal insight that a website can’t provide. For example, a house might look great in photos and have all the features you’re looking for, but your real estate agent can tip you off about potentially incompatible neighbors or upcoming zoning changes.
- Visualize the future: It can be difficult to imagine your family in a home unless you’ve stood in it, looked out the windows, tested all the doors and peered into all the cabinets. Viewing a home in person lets you get a better idea of how you might fit into this new space, and whether you really can feel at home there.
- Scams: Occasionally, unscrupulous people place false advertisements to get your personal information. Never disclose personal or financial information over the Internet. And remember if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The Bottom Line
The Internet is a helpful resource, and online house shopping can make your home-buying process a little easier. Use it as a tool; just don’t rely on it everything. Combined with the guidance of a real estate professional and an independent mortgage lender like Prime Mortgage Lending (dba PrimeRate Mortgage Lending), online house shopping can bring you one step closer to settling into the home you’ve always dreamed of.
