If you’re in the market for a new home, tune up that tablet or computer touchpad. A recent poll from the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors confirmed that 70 percent of Pennsylvania home buyers under age 50 now launch their new-home search online.
Shocker? It shouldn’t be, and it’s likely not a trend confined to the Keystone State. Our increasingly digital world places incalculable resources at our fingertips. This trend turns something as traditionally time-consuming as a housing search into a more efficient process.
Finding your new Florida home may not always progress at warp speed, but helpful home-building and real-estate websites can give you a faster start. Here’s how a laptop, tablet or smart phone can accelerate your new-home search.
More Online Searches = More Online Resources
Most professionals expect the housing industry to respond with even more comprehensive digital databases as more home buyers initiate their searches online. This is true whether a website is maintained by a local builder, or a national company that compiles data from all over the United States and abroad. Remember: demand fuels development.
Open 24/7
No time to house-hunt by day? On the weekends? Do it in your pajamas at night. Digital home searches allow you to investigate prospective neighborhoods and home plans when you can, rather than wasting on-the-ground hours you don’t have. Did we mention gas costs and mileage wear-and-tear on your vehicle?
Giving yourself a digital head start — at your convenience — means you can make the most of your on-the-ground time to consult with real-estate professionals, designers or builders.
Completely Customization
Many builder and developer websites offer pages where you can tweak a home plan to fit your exact needs and specifications. This helps you know in advance that Home Plan A isn’t as flexible as Home Plan B; you won’t need to ask questions or walk through a model to confirm.
Another perk: many of these sites allow you to create an account and stash all your research results, including those tweaked home plans, for future reference. All your wish lists in one spot!
Speeds Up The Process
Often, you can answer basic throat-clearing questions yourself by carefully perusing a website. Or, initiate quicker contact with home-building professionals thanks to live chat links. Plus, you can instantly pounce on those pros’ email and phone information.
Launching your new-home search online also gives you the ability to act quickly if you find a property you like. No more waiting on a call back from someone 500 miles away about whether your potential dream home is still available.
Ready to find your new Florida home? As Florida’s Custom Homebuilder, ICI Homes has a fun, easily navigable website stocked with tons of up-to-date info. Click here to get started.