According to the National Association of Realtors®, approximately 90% of all home buyers*  begin their search on the internet. With all those companies and individual agents vying for such limited shelf space, how do you make sure you’re selecting the best agent to help you find your new home? As an internet savvy Realtor®, I’ve likened the internet home search to a funnel, National aggregators like Realtor®.com are at the widest part, then corporate sites and finally, individual agent sites being at the smallest end of the funnel. This means buyers start with generic searches and work their way to an individual.

With the “National sites” you can probably click through to schedule an appointment with a listing agent, but keep in mind, they represent the seller, not you, the buyer. The company sites are trying to get you to register or request a showing for one of their listings; odds are, they will be referring you to one of their agents and you’ll be you’ll have no idea what that agents’ level of experience is.

With the individual sites, you’re communicating directly with the person that you will actually be working with. You have the chance to build some rapport, making sure that your wants & needs will be listened to, that your overall style will mesh with your agent and if your home search is extended over a long time period, you’ll know that your agent is keeping an eye on the market and letting you know of new homes that hit that market that match your criteria. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Relationships, Trust & Confidence?

*Information sources used in home search courtesy of the National Association of Realtors Field Guide:

  • Internet: 90%
  • Real estate agent: 87%
  • Yard sign: 59%
  • Open house: 46%
  • Newspaper ad: 40%
  • Home book or magazine: 26%