Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Want to Sell Your Home? Make Sure it’s Advertised Online

Want to Sell Your Home? Make Sure it’s Advertised Online
Casa Fina Realty GMAC Real Estate Says Nine Out of 10 Buyers 44 and Younger Use Internet as Part of Home-Finding Process

Tampa, FL (Grassroots Newswire) Sept. 16, 2009 -- The Internet increasingly is becoming the go-to resource for home buyers, with a national survey showing that more than nine out of 10 buyers 44 years old or younger used the Web to help find their dream home.

Additionally, it takes approximately 12 weeks for first-time home buyers to find the home they want, according to Casa Fina Realty GMAC Real Estate officials.

"We’re finding that the typical first-time buyer spends about two weeks looking at homes and reviewing information on the Internet, before they contact a real estate agent," said Mehdi Belhassan of Casa Fina Realty GMAC Real Estate. "In other words, the Internet is playing an important role in helping first-time buyers gain information about the local market and the homes available. By the time they contact us, they have a fairly good idea of what they’re looking for, and are very motivated to begin their search in earnest."

Belhassan said that locally, home buyers are mirroring key trends uncovered by the National Association of Realtors® in its "Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Survey." Among the survey’s key findings:

  • Some 87 percent of all buyers reported using the Internet as one of several information sources at some time in the process.
  • The second most frequently cited information source was a real estate agent, used by 85 percent of buyers seeking more information about properties or the home-buying process.
  • Among buyers who used a real estate agent when searching for and purchasing a home, the median length of the total search was 10 weeks. Before contacting an agent, these buyers typically searched for two weeks.
  • The median length of the home search for first-time buyers (12 weeks) was significantly longer than the typical search time for repeat buyers (nine weeks). First-time buyers also searched for a somewhat longer period before contacting an agent.

For more information on the federal tax credit program and the local housing market, contact Casa Fina Realty GMAC Real Estate: 17407 Bridge Hill Court Ste B, Tampa, (813) 569-6294.