Homework that really pays-using the Web to buy a home

by Richard Seltzer, seltzer@samizdat.com, www.samizdat.com

Copyright 1999 by Richard Seltzer. All rights are reserved.

The following article is based on the introduction from Shop Online the Lazy Way, a book written by Richard Seltzer, which was published in August 1999 by Macmillan. It is available in paperback directly from our online store at http://store.yahoo.com/samizdat or from Amazon.com. It is also available in a Braille edition from National Braille Press (www.nbp.org).

Now that the rights have reverted to the author, he is free to update and revise this online version. Please send email to alert him of changes and interesting new sites that you have encountered.

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If you have decided to buy a home, you want to find the right one, with the minimum of hassle and wasted time. You want to negotiate a good price and close the deal. You also want guidance to make sure you have touched all the bases and taken care of all the related matters--and done it well--in this very complex transaction, involving laws and regulations that you are probably unfamiliar with.

You can expect to go through two stages. First, you need to educate yourself about potential neighborhoods, the range of choices, the process, and particular houses. The Web can provide lots of information and advice so you can avoid the hard-sell tactics, the time-consuming contact, and the persuasive skills of a realtor, until you are ready. When you are ready, you can then contact a traditional realtor, or a buyer's agent, or a company that offers a menu of real estate services for a fee. Then they can guide you the rest of the way, and perhaps even help you with the negotiation and related matters.

This isn't a macho exercise. You don't have to show off how much you think you know about buying a house. Let's face it--most people buy houses rarely, and mistakes can prove costly. Unless you've worked in the business, you aren't likely to be an expert. That means just about everyone needs some help and hand-holding from people who really know.

Even if, armed with everything you can learn on the Web, you decide to buy directly from a homeowner, you'd still be well advised to get some paid professional help along the way.

Both the Web research and the personal professional help are particularly important if:

* You are selling one house while buying another, and need to schedule those two events and synchronize the financial complexities of both transactions.
* You are relocating to another city with which you are unfamiliar.

Often you have to deal with both those circumstances at the same time.

With the right research on the Web, you can make good use of your time during your brief and expensive trips to the new city. By narrowing your choices before you arrive, you can cut down the number of houses you have to visit personally, and greatly reduce the time to purchase.

And while we won't deal directly with selling your home, you can use many of these same sites and services to help you with that as well.

Basically, if you use the Web effectively, you can expect more from the traditional players, like realtors. Knowing that you are ready, well-informed, and motivated, real estate professionals can and should take you more seriously and give you more attention and help, knowing that you are ready and prepared. Whether you are a buyer or a seller, if the first realtor you pick doesn't treat you that way, then go to another.