Engage the Power of the Internet to Find Your Perfect Home by: Marianne Bandy

Finding the perfect home is always a challenge. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the number of choices and all the time required. But the challenges have gotten much easier for buyers who use My Buying Buddy®. It's a system that permits "virtual tire kicking" of homes listed by the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

My Buying Buddy makes it a lot easier for buyers to research their options. And it lets me focus on the other services necessary to complete the deal

(like showing properties, communicating with lenders, negotiating the purchase with the seller's agent, etc. ). Since I installed this system on my website, www. bandyhomes. com 70% of my clients find me through Internet searches. It's my experience that these buyers are better educated, have higher incomes, and are more motivated than typical lookers.

A large percentage of online buyers looking for Denver real estate, haven't moved here yet. They're using the Internet to assist their relocations. This program lets them narrow their choices and decisions without needing to be here.

Delve into the MLS Yourself

Realtor® is a trademark of National Association of Realtors. Only members get full access to the MLS, which lists all the properties for sale by local Realtors. Every listed property can be sold by any member. The public isn't allowed to look into the database of listings. That's reserved for licensed brokers who are members.

Traditionally, buyers had to rely on their real estate agent to tell them about what was available (given their desires and resources). Now, buyers can do their own searches, with direct access to the same listings as their broker. To see Denver homes for sale, buyers can see the latest information, and even receive up-dates about changes regarding properties of interest.

My Buying Buddy Streamlines Locating "The Home" Buyers Hope to Find

The software system provides a comprehensive, easy-to-use home search service of the MLS. This buyer-friendly system was developed by Blue Fire Marketing, www. bluefiremarketing. com I consider it an incredible tool for the Denver real estate market. It's already available in several Colorado markets, the San Francisco bay area and parts of California and Texas. And more communities are adopting My Buying Buddy all the time.

When it became available, I saw its power, and was one of the first to climb aboard. My entire website is oriented around this system since it automates and simplifies many tasks required to find the perfect home.

The Denver MLS consistently lists over 25,000 properties, of which over 16,000 are residential properties. That's too many to sort through without powerful software. But this program lets buyers be actively involved in finding and comparing the best listings.

My Buying Buddy Benefits

Shows featured listings

Locates homes in the MLS according to your criteria

Saves properties, so you can keep track of homes you like

Saves your search criteria from one session to the next

Gives email notification of new listings

Sends you email alerts about changes on homes of interest: daily or weekly

More People Trust the Internet to Locate Major Purchases like Homes

Increasingly, people turn to the Web to make critical buying decisions. The public's high expectations are caused by three trends:

Two-thirds of US Internet users have more than three years experience online

Websites have gotten much better at giving people what they want - in the way they want it

Search tools have become more powerful, so people can locate the information they're looking for (like My Buying Buddy)

Research studies about used car sales and hiring attorneys demonstrate that people even turn to online resources before making expensive purchases and commitments. The Internet has replaced newspaper classifieds as the primary place to go for used car information.

The more comfortable people become online, the more home buyers go online to seek out desired information. Depending on the source, up to 70% of all purchasers turn to the Web during their home search and buying process.

Test Drive My Buying Buddy on my Website - www. bandyhomes. com

I'm a real estate professional who enjoys the human side of transactions. I care about helping families meet their needs and find what they love. This buyer-friendly system lets me do even more to assist my clients. And it involves them to the extent they want to be. See for yourself how beautifully technology can improve the home search experience.

© 2004, Marianne Bandy

Author:
Marianne Bandy

About the Author:
Marianne Bandy, Realtor® - Denver, Colorado and surrounding communities. Use My Buying Buddy® to search the MLS listings to find your perfect home yourself. Helping families - From My Heart to Your Home. www.bandyhomes.com (303) 746-7799DenverHomeSearch(at)bandyhomes.com