subject: Using The Internet To Search For A New House [print this page] The Internet gives you the ability to look through thousands of houses for sale online. This can be done via a local or national realtor website if they place new listings online. You can see details about the house you wish to buy via their site and pictures are also the norm for any online property listings. A number of online listing sites also keep updated records of sales and have characteristics by which prospective buyers can search. Advertised amount, suburb/state location and general amenities in the local area are all criteria you can search for. Major search engines such as Yahoo have a dedicated real estate section to their site.
Getting information from Government branches is also available online through Land and Property offices. For a fee you can source information about any mortgages over the property, previous owners or regulation breaches that the government has issued. By doing this, buyers can save money through not enlisting the expensive services of solicitors or property purchasing specialists.
For a fee, subscription based websites will give you detailed information, not just on the house you intend to buy, but others beside it or in surrounding suburbs. This information is quite extensive and gives data as far back as it exists, though there are often hefty fees to go searching back too far into history. Sales history, mortgage information and average sales in street for the past year are all features that these sites may possess to assist in your search for a new home online.
Processing mortgage applications will be lengthy, but banks and mortgage lenders are now coming to the table and offering up parts of their services online. You can conduct extensive product research and begin your applications through their websites in order to expedite the process. Mortgage review and comparison sites exist to provide detail on their product you are thinking of applying for. Money.com.au and Choice Magazine give criteria for you to search each financial institutions product on to find the right choice for you.
Pictures and the text that accompanies them in the sales ads for houses online can be deceptive, so it will be useful to conduct your own research offline to ensure they are accurate. Angles can be misleading in photos, so aim to look at properties that offer virtual tours so that you can get a 360-degree view of the property you are thinking of investing in.
