Comments on: Few Homebuyers Say the Internet Influenced their Purchase

By: Charles

Charles — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:57:26 +0000

The number of people that use the internet is going to keep growing. Not surprised that renters use it more, I've seen the evidence of it on our own site. Charles's last blog post..Monterey Auction

By: efile

efile — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:22:45 +0000

The Internet is great for researching any topic. I t doesn’t surprise me at all that people are searching for housing online, but I thought it have more influence than suggested.

I’m using the Internet now to find rentals here in Hawaii and have used it extensively before in other places I’ve lived.

By: Peter Monroe

Peter Monroe — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:26:50 +0000

It seems like a useful adjunct to more traditional things. I would imagine that if the numbers were crunched more, those people who were moving further tended to use the internet more. There seems less benefit to using the internet when moving across town. Peter Monroe's last blog post..Peter Monroe

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:47:10 +0000

Tiffany, you are again right. Interenet is the very tool with the help of which one can feature out the living place. But it is extremely important for me to see my purchase prior buying it.

By: Keylogger Guy

Keylogger Guy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:04:25 +0000

Nowadays everything is selling online, online real estate sales just a part of this growing process.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:54:00 +0000

Internet is very useful tool to do early survey to find place for home living. But, for me visiting the place myself before made last buying decision is a must.

By: Goran Web Design

Goran Web Design — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:16:45 +0000

Only 42 percent said it had no impact at all, that leaves the 58 percent who used it. Thats enough of a percent for there to be value. Its dependent on many factors, I have clients that get majority of their business from the web, they get the lead, but the personal interaction of the agents sell the properties.

By: Joe Hall

Joe Hall — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:59:00 +0000

No problem Janet! About the Pew study: I tend to put less weight in a study that runs contrary to most of the other industry data that we have seen coming out since the bubbles started to pop. I work for a local franchise that is constantly barraged by our corporate office on new ways to use the internet. We constantly here people at conferences and trade shows talking about maximizing the internet. And, on a personal note, our company has increased sales leads despite the housing slump. And, all most all of the new leads are web generated. So, if people are using the internet less to find a home then its not enough to really worry about or notice! Joe Hall's last blog post..RE/MAX is the most searched for Real Estate company on the internet.

By: Jordan McCollum

Jordan McCollum — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:19:48 +0000

I think Pew's headline was basically just to get attention. They saw that few people used the Internet and concluded that it's not influential, while all of their stats basically said otherwise. I took a look at the other industries included in the report last month.

By: Zak Nicola

Zak Nicola — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:18:16 +0000

Thanks for the great info! I have a few clients that haven't gotten up to date with their websites, seeing that VT number should help sway them. Zak Nicola's last blog post..Google AdBloopers

By: Max

Max — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:53:36 +0000

Great post Janet, thanks for the stats.
Working in real estate industry (marketing) for over 6 years, I never expected internet to influence a purchase of a property. At least not for an average Joe. Internet is a great informational source for potential home buyers and sellers. It helps to gather information and make and a decision to start the process of buying/selling a property. Real estate agents have an opportunity to show their knowledge and expertise via online medium. If correctly planned and implemented – Internet can be the least expensive and the best long term investment ever for generating prospective clients and looks like the numbers in your stats confirm that.

Max’s last blog post..West Valley Market Report – May 2008

By: Matt McGee

Matt McGee — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:27:32 +0000

Janet – you’re right. This isn’t bad news at all for the RE industry. Of course the Internet doesn’t *influence* a home purchase — it’s not like ordering a book or CD. It’s the biggest purchase most people will ever make, and the biggest influence will always be walking into the house, driving around the neighborhood, the local school system, and offline factors.

But the Internet is a big factor in the early stages of either researching a neighborhood and/or home to buy, or researching an agent to use (for people selling their home).

Matt McGee’s last blog post..Links for 2008-06-10 [del.icio.us]