Buying Your Home Online - Things to Consider

With the wealth of realtor websites, bank financing options and home search tools available online, more people are finding it easier than ever to buy their home online. Buying your home online can make it easier to conduct a search of the latest listings, narrow down the field of choices and learn more about your prospective neighborhood without ever visiting the property in person.

This can be a very valuable opportunity when you are considering moving out of state or across the country, but there are still several important things to consider as you proceed with an online search. Whether you're a first time homebuyer or looking for vacation home property, here are some important considerations when buying your home online:

1. Set a limit on how many homes you will browse in a given day. The Internet opens up thousands of listings in a given area, but there is only so much you can take in on a given day. Avoid getting into a situation of 'brain overload' by limiting the number of properties you are willing to research on any given day.

2. Keep track of all seller's contact information. Set up a separate address book or spreadsheet to keep track of seller contact information for various properties so you have that information at your fingertips when you need it. This makes it easier to set up your appointments or second and third showings of a property; you won't have to start the entire listing search from scratch when you create your own easily-accessible reference system.

3. View aerial views of the property. Seeing a bird's eye view of the property can make it easier to get a feel of the neighborhood and get an accurate view of gardens, garage space and the areas surrounding your home. Take the time to use Google Maps satellite images and other tools to explore a variety of views of the property.

4. Don't rely solely on listing pictures. If you live in the neighborhood, set up an appointment for a showing and take your own pictures of the property. This will give you a much more realistic perspective of the property so that you have solid information to work with during your final selection process.

5. Take a virtual tour. Many home listings now offer virtual tours where you can click through rooms and see 360-degree views and different orientations of each area. Take the time to seek these out, especially if you want to get a feel for a particular look and style of new floorplans and designs. This can save you time on visits, and also help you narrow down exactly what you are looking for in your 'dream home'.

6. Use a variety of search tools. Shelley O'Hara and Nancy Lewis, authors of the book, "The Complete Idiot's Gide to Buying and Selling a Home" encourages prospective homebuyers to use several different sites and home buying tools when doing their research. Begin the search with sites such as the International Real Estate Directory and the National Association of Realtors.