"When asked where they first learned about the home purchased, 24 percent of buyers identified the Internet, up strongly from 15 percent in 2004 and only 2 percent in 1997. Although most buyers use an agent to complete the transaction, 36 first learn about the home they buy from a real estate agent and 15 percent from yard signs; five other categories were 7 percent or less". Home Buyer & Seller Survey 2006
The proof that people are using the internet to search for homes for sale is proven to me everyday. In my office, on the average 85-90% of my calls for either homes for sale or apartments to rent come from some source on the internet. It may be a paid site that we use or our own website, which generates about 70% of our leads of buyers or renters. There is a shift beginning to take place here. There are now more and more Seller's Calling my office because they see us prominently on the internet. The ways of marketing is not from the local papers and the major publications, it is the Internet. Sellers now use the internet to see who is advertising.
So in addition to the normal questions you would ask a Realtor, think about adding these 10 new questions when interviewing an agent.
1.) How many hits do you get on your website a day, a month?
2.) Do you have a blog as well?
3.) Do you advertise on the internet? Paid sites as well as free sites?
4.) Do you use pay per click?
5.) Do agents in your office have their OWN websites/blog?
6.) Do the people who use your site, HAVE to register to view MY home?
7.) When you get emails, what would you say is the NORMAL rate of responding is?
8.) Do ALL of you agents have email?
9.) Do your agents on their own, advertise on the Internet?
10.) Are my open houses advertised on the internet as well?
11.) Do you have high rankings on the internet?
This would be a good start. I know for a fact alot of Realtors here in Queens NY, would have a hard time answering most or all the questions.
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