More homebuyers begin their quest in cyberspace
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Dennis and April Newton moved into a new home in Plum with children Simeon, 7, Dennis, 10, and Lauren, 8. They looked for their perfect home on the Internet. Jason Bridge | Valley News Dispatch
Dennis and April Newton are members of the e-commerce generation. When they decided it was time to buy a house, they searched for one on a Saturday evening on Coldwell Banker Real Estate Co.'s PittsburghMove.com Web site.
Finding a home on the Internet is common practice today, according to the National Association of Realtors. It claims 90 percent of today's buyers -- both repeat and first-time buyers -- first shop on the Internet to locate a home.
Ten years ago, only 2 percent of home buyers used the Internet, said spokesman Walter Molony.
Online listings of homes for sale began measurably in 1995 with the launch of Realtor.com, the top site for home listings with 5.2 million visitors in November, and the number of real estate sites exploded. Other top Web sites now include Yahoo! Real Estate, AOL Real Estate, Zillow.com and MSN Real Estate, each with 2.8 million or more visitors in November.
Local city multiple listing service Web sites are a popular Internet resource, used by 60 percent of buyers. That's followed by Realtor.com and real estate company sites, being used by 46 percent of buyers. Other Web sites with real estate listings are used by 30 percent. Local newspaper sites are used by 17 percent of buyers.
