Internet real estate

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

An electronic version of the

Yahoo! Real Estate, Redfin and Realtor.com.[1]

International e-real estate statistics

According to Realtors, 90% of home buyers searched online during the process of seeking a property and the percentage of consumers searching for information relating to real estate on Google has increased by 253% over the last 4 years.[2] With an increase of 5.5% from just 0% of people using the Internet to carry our house sales within the last decade in the UK, figures show that there will be a huge increase to a percentage of 50 by 2018. Figures will hit 70% by 2020, with only a third of the UK population seeking help through traditional methods of real estate agents.[3][4]

Process of dealing with Internet real estate

The process of the concept of Internet real estate usually begins with owners listing their homes with its quoted price on online platforms such as Trulia, Yahoo! Real Estate, cyber home, The New York Times and even eBay. The greater number of platform owners list their properties, the greater the diffusion of information.[5] As buyers who are seeking a piece of property, search engines are usually their first pit-stop. "69% of home shoppers who take action on real estate brand website begin their research with a local term, i.e. "Houston homes for sale" on a search engine", reports Realtor.[2] Once a potential buyer contacts the seller, they would go through the details of the property – sizing, amenities, condition, and pricing, if not stated. After which, an appointment for the viewing of the property would usually be scheduled and in some cases, potential buyers may request for a refurnish of certain amenities or parts of the property. If terms and conditions are met between both parties, the buyer would usually negotiate for the best offer if interested and a deposit may be requested by the owner. Finally, both parties will agree on a date for full payment, signing on official payment, and the handover of keys to the property.

Design

Generally, buyers are attracted to Internet real estate due to its accessibility and the range of properties available.[5]

Advantages

Convenience

Due to

online bookings and for communication between parties. Using the web to put out properties for sale and purchasing properties is no exception. The age of technology has aided in reducing time and money within Internet real estate. Users may list their properties or search for them at their fingertips, reaching out to a greater number of people significantly than traditional methods. In contrast, the traditional methods of contacting and meeting up with a real estate agent cost more money (agent and transportation fees) and time.[6]

Direct communications and transactions

One of the prime differences between traditional real estate and Internet real estate is often the middleman's absence, known as a broker or a real estate agent. At times, real estate agents may be present, still dealing with customers directly from the web. Real estate agents often profit by absorbing a certain percentage of the final sale or rent price as commission. There are cases where commission percentage hits a figure of 6% in America.[7] Internet real estate reduces the cost of an agent and conserves time spent relaying amongst three parties.

Human interaction

The use of the Internet has, in turn, reduced time between human interaction, which buyers do crave at times.[8]

Disadvantages

Just like any other operations, risks do exist when dealing with Internet real estate. There have been cases where personal details and financial information were copied when

data being encrypted or retrieved.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Delcoure, Natalya, and Norm G. Miller. International Residential Real Estate Brokerage Fees And Implications For The US Brokerage Industry. 1st ed. 2002. Print.
  2. ^ a b Google, The National Association of Realtors®. The Digital House Hunt: Consumer And Market Trends In Real Estate. 1st ed. 2012. Print.
  3. ^ "How the internet can – and should – destroy estate agents". The Spectator Australia. 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2022-12-08..
  4. ^ "Why Redfin, Zillow, and Trulia Haven't Killed off Real Estate Brokers". Bloomberg.com. 8 March 2013.
  5. ^ a b "The Advantages & Disadvantages of Advertising on the Internet".
  6. ]
  7. ^ DARLIN, DAMON. 'The 6 Percent Solution: Skip Real Estate Agents'. Nytimes.com. N.p., 2005. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
  8. ^ "Real estate agents are waging a war against the internet".
  9. ^ Fobert, J. (2013). Cyber and Data Security Risks and the Real Estate Industry. 1st ed. America.