The Internet has made tremendous inroads in the home buying process. When a potential home buyer seeks to purchase a home, he or she may consider online search. Many popular and good real estate websites are now available. You can obtain mortgage quotes, compare mortgage prices and read about the mortgage loan process by browsing through these real estate websites. Despite the increased usage of Internet in the home buying process, real estate agents still play a crucial role in the home buying process.
With the rapid spurt of technology, may real estate analysts are afraid that the jobs of the real estate agents may be at stake as the consumers are increasingly using Internet and adopting a do-it-yourself strategy. However, according to a new study conducted by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), majority of the home buyers still prefer to take the professional assistance of a real estate agent than to rely to heavily on the online support.
According to the 2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey of NAR, a large percentage of the home buyers who purchased a home between July 2012 and June 2013, still prefer to take the assistance of a real estate agent, instead of depending entirely on Internet. Among the total respondents surveyed, 42% started the home buying process by searching for properties online. 17% of the respondents said that they started the home buying process by looking for an agent first. However, 89% of the respondents said that both online sources and real estate agents were the most common sources for information that home buyers used in their search.
The role of the agents not diminished
The report reveals that though a large number of home buyers use Internet in home buying process, but it has not been able to diminish the role of real estate agents significantly. In reality, before hiring an agent for real estate purchase, home buyers are doing their online research too.
Realizing this trends of the home buyers, companies are also adopting new technologies. Real estate agents are using technology so as to stay alive in the competitive market place. With the adoption of new technologies, real estate companies are trying to build trust with the clients first. In addition to this, adoption of new technology is also making these companies more efficient.