Thanks to the Internet, it's a lot easier to find a new home than it used to be. For instance, it's possible to log onto multiple listings websites and search just about anywhere in the U.S. for the home of your choice. But even better, more and more Realtors are offering a service that makes it even easier for you.
Buyer's watch services allow you to sign up, via your Realtor's website, for updates on homes for sale as they come onto the market. You simply fill out an online form listing your criteria-location, number of bedrooms, number of baths, style of home, and price range-and every time a home comes on the market that matches your criteria, you receive an email from the Realtor with specifications and a photo of the home. If you're interested in seeing the home, simply contact your Realtor and arrange for a tour; if you want more information about the home before you look at it, email your questions to the Realtor so he or she can research your questions for you.
These services help your Realtor as much as they do you; the time they save on phone calls and less than satisfactory home tours they can use to narrow their focus and find that one home that most perfectly matches your needs. And they've found that their ability to deal with prospective buyers from distant locations improves exponentially. As more and more Realtors discover the benefits of dealing with buyers over the Internet, they are signing on to the existing buyers watch services in record numbers-an action that can only help you as you search for your new home.
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern New Hampshire. She has written numerous articles for local and regional newspapers and for a number of Internet websites, including Tips and Topics.