JOIN USLocating your dream home can be a slow and harrowing task, especially while scrambling from one place to another, travelling distances, enduring a pain in your neck.
It’s only natural to wish that there were a simpler and more efficient way of skimming through a parade of houses, while leaving out the properties that don’t suit your needs, taste or budget.
Well, fear not, for this is the age of Internet! A mere click of the mouse can give you valuable insights into your potential neighbourhood and save you hours of wasted effort. Be it for locating homes directly listed by owners or finding houses that fit the budget, the Internet can be your saviour, and all it takes is a small amount of time spent sifting through online listings. Another plus point: You get to spot bargain deals as soon as they are out in the market.
Most urban dwellers these days look up the Internet to search for properties. With that, they have their basic ground work ready and when they zero-in on a particular property, they are well-informed. They may contact a real estate agent only towards the end, to broker the final settlement deal and finish off the paperwork. A lot of real estate agents think it’s unwise to buy homes right off the web, but even they cannot deny that it does help reduce the legwork, even as it gives a wholesome perspective to the buyer.
Especially, if you are an investor looking at buying a property in another city or even overseas, the World Wide Web can be your manna from the heaven! With a careful amount of research, you can save thousands of rupees spent on flights and hotels.
“If you live in Bengaluru and want to buy a house in Mumbai, you can draw up an online map to see the list of available houses on sale. Buyers can also go on virtual tours of the properties, perform a comparative market analysis of neigh-bourhood real estate and even pay the booking amount online,” says Parul Amla, interior designer, Antrik Design Studio, referring to the ease of house-hunting online.
Looking up on the Internet is the best way to find answers to FAQs regarding the properties and builders. It is the easiest way to find out the per-square-feet rate in a particular locality, to search for answers to questions like how many sales have
been made in the area, the distance from the nearest schools or hospitals, and the proximity to your office from the short-listed properties.
What works
It’s important to do a thorough check on your potential buys beforehand: How long has the home been on the market and how often? Have there been any price differences from the time the seller first listed the home? How much will property tax in the area cost? What amount of property appreciation did neighbouring homes in the area fetch in the market? You can find the answers to such questions online.
“With the help of the Internet, buyers these days have better control than before. Since this is probably one of the biggest investments most people make in their life, control is of paramount importance,” reckons Vandana Bhatia, who recently
zeroed in on that dream home after much scouting.
What doesn’t work
However, there is plenty of information you may not find off the Internet. For example, a simple phone call to a realty broker will help you get referrals to banks, finance advisors and insurance agents.
You will not get this service and expertise from the web. Also what the Internet might not reveal, an expert realty agent might. For example, the web might give you a virtual tour around the property, but you may not know its true quality or the actual development work taking place around the area. That inside information and reality check is provided by the agent. The Internet can only be the foundation of your home-buying research. By supplementing your online research with an expert realty advisor’s information, you can be assured of a 360-degree perspective.
First-stop solutions
The safest way to use the web is to look at it a primary source of information, which will enable you to feel more informed and confident. Stick to real estate agency web pages, government sites and popular builders’ websites to educate yourself about the market trends. While you may not be able to get all kinds of help online, it can certainly give you information on where you can find that help.
These days, most real estate dealers have online presence. You can find popular realty agents in your area, too, using the contacts listed on certain websites; they can show you around the neighbourhoods you have shortlisted. Also, a good real estate agent does more than mere scheduling of site visits; his/her expertise can help you right from property hunting to brokering a great deal with the builder, to handling all the paperwork and legalities involved. Therefore, using the Internet to compare agents would be a wise move.
Let the Internet give you a headstart in finding that dream home. But bear in mind that it can only guide you with the basics; you may need expert advice where legalities, paperwork and financial arrangements are concerned. So, start clicking!
You will not get this service and expertise from the web. Also what the Internet might not reveal, an expert realty agent might. For example, the web might give you a virtual tour around the property, but you may not know its true quality or the actual development work taking place around the area. That inside information and reality check is provided by the agent.
The Internet can only be the foundation of your home-buying research. By supplementing your online research with an expert realty advisor’s information, you can be assured of a 360-degree perspective.
First-stop solutions
The safest way to use the web is to look at it a primary source of information, which will enable you to feel more informed and confident. Stick to real estate agency web pages, government sites and popular builders’ websites to educate yourself about the market trends.
While you may not be able to get all kinds of help online, it can certainly give you information on where you can find that help. These days, most real estate dealers have online presence. You can find popular realty agents in your area, too, using the contacts listed on certain websites; they can show you around the neighbourhoods you have shortlisted.
Also, a good real estate agent does more than mere scheduling of site visits; his/her expertise can help you right from property hunting to brokering a great deal with the builder, to handling all the paperwork and legalities involved.
Therefore, using the Internet to compare agents would be a wise move.Let the Internet give you a headstart in finding that dream home. But bear in mind that it can only guide you with the basics; you may need expert advice where legalities, paperwork and financial arrangements are concerned. So, start clicking to find your dream home!