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Are you looking to find one of the best property websites? When you are looking to find a home to purchase there is no shortage of housing sites to comb through.
Buying a home is a big decision that can be made easier with the help of the right real estate website. We will be taking a look at eight of the best real estate websites to help you find the perfect home.
By searching with one of the popular websites, you will undoubtedly find a home quicker and easier.
Recently, we tackled the best home rental websites, for those looking to find a rental property. It only seemed fitting to review the sites with homes for sale.
What you will quickly realize is some of the preferred rental sites are also the best home buying sites as well.
Before offering on a house, using one of these featured sites will likely lead to an excellent experience.
Let’s dig into what you should know.
What Are Real Estate Websites?
Great real estate websites are those which bring prospective buyers and sellers in the real estate market together. Excellent real estate website design provides website visitors with ease of use and great user experience.
A great real estate company provides property listings to help buyers find their next home while also providing exposure to home sellers.
Many buyers view property images, videos, and features before agreeing to a live tour. Doing so is beneficial for the same reason that sellers post their homes on these websites: thousands of prospective buyers can view the home online without having to come see it in person.
Real estate websites can also be marketing channels for other professionals in the real estate industry that contribute to the transaction. Realtors, mortgage lenders, and home inspectors can advertise to increase their online presence and generate leads.
The best real estate listing sites will have plenty of robust features. Some of the most vital features of the top real estate sites are beautiful design, maximum exposure, sound technology, integration with social media, and responsive customer service.
Not only can you view the list price of homes for sale but also see what properties sold for. Most of the websites will also provide the days on market for a property.
What Are The Best Real Estate Websites For Buyers to Use?
Before even meeting with a real estate agent or setting foot in a home, potential buyers have the freedom to browse listings on their computer.
Technology has enabled the home buying and selling markets to be much more open and accessible than ever before. Websites allow buyers to get home prices, negotiate rates, and see a wider variety of properties than ever before.
But what are the best property websites for buyers?
Many buyers will ultimately partner with a real estate agent when buying their home, but many will do additional research online either before signing on with an agent or in addition to what the agent tells them.
Websites that are excellent for finding real estate information are easy to search, have high-quality images, and keep track of the housing market trends.
Home buyers want a website that they can easily navigate while hunting for the ideal house. Buyers don’t want to fool around. They want the best real estate websites for their needs.
Using Technology to Be One of The Best Websites For Real Estate
The ability to filter your search results is essential for home buyers. Without a way to narrow down your search, you’ll be scrolling through hundreds of listings that don’t fit into your criteria.
For example, if you need a home that has four bedrooms and 2.5 baths, it will be waste of time to see three bedroom, 1.5 homes mixed into your search. It would just make the process of finding a worthy home take a lot longer.
The same would be true if you only wanted to look at properties with an acre of land or more.
Narrowing down your options can help you find the properties you are interested in talking over with your agent. Some websites can help you save money by finding the best mortgage options or by helping you select a real estate agent.
Although we don’t recommend using a review website to find an agent. There are much better avenues for finding a top producing Realtor.
We have put together a list the popular real estate websites for buyers. These sites feature some of the best data analytics, search tools, and easy-to-use features.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock, many of these top sites will be familiar. Some of them have large advertising budgets and you can see them on television or hear their ads on the radio.
A few of the websites are less established but you’ll see how they work and how to best take advantage of their features.
8 Best Real Estate Websites For Buyers Reviewed
What is the best website for real estate listings? In my professional opinion there are three – Zillow.com, Realtor.com, and Trulia.com. I like to call them the “big three in real estate” due to their heavy volume of search traffic.
You will find these three sites at the top of the list for helping buyers achieve their goals.
It’s no wonder they are the three most visited real estate websites. Let’s take an in-depth look.
Zillow.com
One of the most well-know websites for real estate is Zillow.com. In fact, Zillow is now almost synonymous with searching for housing to purchase.
The website is a great resource for buyers, sellers, renters, landlords, agents, and real estate professionals. The tools are easy to use.
Home buyers can maximize their home search results by filtering their results by price, location, features, and property type. You can see information about the home’s neighborhood, such as commute times and statistics about schools.
Their integrated Bing maps are a popular feature that will give you an overhead view of an entire neighborhood. If there is something nearby that may cause a concern, you’ll likely see it in Zillow.
Looking at the price tool, you can get an idea of how much monthly costs would be for owning the property, such as a mortgage, insurance, and taxes.
If the property has an HOA, Zillow will list that as well as the last reported monthly fee.
Zillow will also provide what they refer to as a “Zillow estimate” or “Zestimate” for a given property. It is the one feature most real estate agents will agree is not worth looking at.
For all of Zillow’s greatness, the home value tool fails at one of a professional real estate agents finest strengths – giving an accurate housing value.
When looking at Zillow keep this in mind. If you want an accurate home value have your real estate agent prepare a comparative market analysis. Besides the downfall of the Zestimates, Zillow is one of the best home buying sites.
Realtor.com
When folks ask me my opinion on what are the best websites for real estate, my answer always includes Realtor.com.
Realtor.com is a website operated by the News Corporation subsidiary Move, Inc., and is based in Santa Clara, California. It offers real estate listings from both its own database as well as third-party sources.
As of 2021, the website has over 100 million monthly active users and is the second most visited real estate website right behind Zillow. Realtor Information Network, founded in 1995, is a closed network for members of the National Association of Realtors.
Since its relaunch in 1996 showing property listing, Realtor.com has been considered the largest real estate website in the United States. In 2016, it was valued at $2.5 billion by Forbes.
Realtor.com has direct relationships with over eight hundred regional Multiple Listings services making it one of the most accurate property listing websites. Properties listed for sale are sent directly to Realtor.com via a feed.
Besides excellent accuracy, Realtor.com has many useful stats and data home buyers can take advantage of in their search for a property to purchase. There are many resources available about home values, market forecasts, inclusive details about schools and businesses in the area, and commute times.
The site even provides crime rates for each city so you can make an informed decision about where to live.
Additionally, Realtor.com has a wealth of information about buying a home, determining your mortgage payments and helping you assess what homes are within your budget.
Trulia.com
Like Zillow, Trulia is another outstanding real estate website. Many people don’t realize this but Zillow bought Trulia in 2014.
Trulia allows you to find homes in your area quickly and easily compares the properties.
Their website has a variety of filters, including narrowing your search by features such as price range, home style, number of bedrooms, and more.
Trulia gives you an interactive map that lets you comb the neighborhood through the eyes of various filters.
The filters on the map show you statistics in the area, including schools, community age ranges, commute times, and restaurants and stores.
Redfin.com
Even though Redfin is technically a competitor to other real estate companies. They are a real estate brokerage with a home base in Seattle, Washington.
I have to admit they have one of the best websites for real estate listings. It is a fan favorite of many home buyers who are looking to purchase their first or next home.
Redfin gives you an overview of the home, and it is interactive, so you don’t need to see it in person. The company uses its advanced technology to improve the process for both buyers and sellers.
Redfin strives to make the home buying process more user-friendly, from listing through selling. The calculator on their website gives you an idea of how much you can afford for a home based on your neighborhood, income, down payment, and total debt.
RE/MAX.com
RE/MAX is home to more top producing real estate agents than any other brokerage in the world.
The company was established with the goal of compensating agents fairly, allowing them to keep nearly all of their commissions and deducting broker expenses from that total.
The structure is different from most residential real estate companies, where agents share a commission on each sale. If you consider yourself one of the best real estate agents, it’s likely you’ve joined RE/MAX.
They also have a nifty website as well. If you are looking for a home to purchase, RE/MAX.com is worth checking out. It is certainly one of the better real estate websites.
In addition to their site, they also have an app.
Their home search app allows you to continue your search for available listings from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet.
The app is great if you want to keep looking while you’re out and about, or if you’re waiting for a listing to become available that matches your preferences.
When trying to find a home you love, you can request information, schedule showings, and receive push notifications within minutes of homes hitting the market.
RealtyTrac
Do you have an interest in purchasing a foreclosure? If so, RealtyTrac is one of the best real estate websites for foreclosure listings.
RealtyTrac provides you the ability to look over millions of foreclosed properties. If you subscribe, you will also have access to the property’s address, loan information, and the locations and dates for upcoming auctions.
If you are looking for a property that may need a bit of work, RealtyTrac is a good place to search. All of the homes on their database have clean titles and do not have any liens or back taxes associated with them. The site is a fan favorite for real estate investors.
The biggest downside to bidding on items in an auction is that if you win the auction, you have to pay the total amount in cash immediately.
Auction.com
When you’re intent on purchasing a foreclosed property, Auction.com is another excellent real estate website for looking at these types of properties.
Auction.com has thousands of properties listed for sale and gives buyers access to foreclosed and bank-owned properties.
Like RealtyTrac, in order to land the house you want, you’ll need to win the auction. If there properties has multiple bidders the price can shoot up like it would in a bidding war with traditional housing.
When you are the winning bidder Auction.com will require a ten percent down payment.
FSBO.com
If you are looking for one of the best home buying sites for for sale by owners, FSBO.com is it. FSBO.com is a website that allows home sellers to list their home for sale “for sale by owner.”
FSBO.com offers a packaged offering that includes the option to list on the MLS and syndicated real estate websites, such as Zillow, Realtor.com. and Trulia.
The enticing part of using a site like FSBO.com from a home seller’s perspective is the potential to save on the typical real estate commission. Real Estate commissions traditionally are in the ballpark of five to six percent of a home’s sale price.
Hiring a top real estate agent usually makes up for the difference in any commission saved due to bringing thousands of potential eyeballs through the local multiple listing services and an agent’s marketing expertise.
Selling a home on FSBO.com is not free. There are two listing packages. You’ll find an entry level package for $99.95 which includes unlimited photos and the ability to post a video.
There is also an MLS listings package that include a basic entry into the multiple listing service and syndication to some of the top real estate websites such as Realtor.com, Zillow, and Trulia.
If you are a buyer who is looking specifically to find a for sale by owner property, it is a great place to find one.
Best Real Estate Websites For Sellers?
Okay, it’s time for a personal plug. If you are looking to sell your home or want to be more educated about real estate, Maximum Real Estate Exposure offers a wealth of information.
I like to think of it as a real estate encyclopedia filled with years of knowledge and experience. There are numerous topics covered in all the blog posts – everything from financing, mortgages, moving, home improvement, and good ole fashioned general real estate.
You’ll find hundreds of articles on just about everything about buying and selling real estate. Thousands of people in the real estate industry follow for improving their real estate business. With the detailed information provided, it will be a great way to increase your knowledge.
Final Thoughts
What is the best website for real estate? Everyone is going to have their own opinion but these eight sites are considered among the top rated.
By using one of these sites and connecting with a top agent, you should find the buying process to go more smoothly. The best property sites will work seamlessly like a search engine. Finding a new home should be a pleasurable experience which is what these sites deliver.
About the Author: The above Real Estate information on what are the best property websites was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for 35+ Years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate Sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton, and Uxbridge MA.
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8 Best Real Estate Websites To Help You Find The Perfect Home
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See 8 of the best real estate websites to help home buyers find the perfect property. Get real estate listings from the best property sites.
Author
Bill Gassett
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Maximum Real Estate Exposure
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