Hello guys…
Am looking for a new home and want to make sure I’m using the best online resources available. There are so many house buying websites out there, and I’m not sure which ones are the most reliable and user-friendly.
Can anyone recommend the best websites for house hunting? I’m looking for sites with comprehensive listings, accurate information, and useful search features. Any personal experiences or tips on navigating these sites would be greatly appreciated…TIA
Realtor.com is the most frequently updated.
Ziprealty.com is particularly useful if it covers your area because it allows you to search by school district. When I was home shopping, the school district was a huge factor. You can sign up with a throwaway email address if you don’t intend on using their agents.
Zillow can be really useful, in my opinion. While agents often criticize the estimates, I have found them to be pretty accurate. When I was selling my house, the agent suggested a price $30,000 above the estimate. The house ended up selling for a price within $1,000 of the Zestimate.
If you’re like me and check the websites regularly, you’ll likely identify homes before your agent does. All the agent will do is forward the MLS listings, which are similar to those on Realtor, just a little more current.
I have experience with REIN and HomeSnap.
I have found that both options are accurate, and it seems that many websites such as Redfin and Zillow obtain their listing information from REIN. These are the sites that realtors typically use, but anyone can view listings without needing to be a realtor.
Real estate professionals that work for another company during the day and do Redfin on the side are just normal agents. They are legal agents, no different.
In either case, choose a person you are comfortable with.