3 Things You Need To Look for When Shopping for Homes Online

It’s easy to look up a TV for sale at Best Buy and see if it’s cheaper on Amazon to avoid overpaying. You can also get thousands of reviews to compare TVs to avoid buying a bad one. But houses are different. To really understand a good value it takes a closer look – for some specific things.

1. Look At Sold Prices

First, you need to see what houses like the kind you want are being sold for. When a home is sold it creates a precedent for future homes like it to sell for the same price. Getting a feel for this can save you thousands when a home is being listed far more than what people have paid for similar homes previously.

2. Look At How Long Homes Stay On The Market

Second, look for days on the market. There is a big difference between browsing and being ready to buy so it’s important to understand how aggressive you’ll need to be when you are ready. For example, in Lafayette there are about 10 neighborhoods where homes consistently sell in less than 30 days. If you want to move there you’ll really need to watch closely. Conversely, some price ranges, and areas see an average of 3-6 months on the market.

3. Watch For The Volume Of Homes You Like

Last, you’ll want to watch the supply. Getting a feel for how often new homes like what you are looking for enter the market give you an idea of how urgently you’ll need to shop and where prices are headed. Home shopping isn’t like buying a product where the store manager can just reorder to keep the shelves full. Some types of homes only come on the market once a month, others 5 times a week!

4. Bonus Tip! – Shop With Clarity

Shop with clarity and without pressure. For example Zillow is great, but if you are interested in seeing a home you have to talk to an agent – and Zillow sells those leads to agents – so right off the bat you are in a sales cycle. We understand 87% of people want to shop without the pressure of a salesperson. So we’ve created a way to do that without missing out on the value an agent can add.

Our automated market notifications give you real time updates when homes with exactly what you are looking for hit the market, drop in price, or get sold! The email report includes links to more photos and info for each home. Additionally we include our local agents’ commentary – this alone can save you thousands! It’s totally free to sign up.

When you sign up we’ll also send you our free Lafayette Buyers guide that shows you the average price and time on market for each neighborhood. As well as 3 questions you should ask every home seller to save thousands when you buy.

Email [email protected] to sign up.