Whether you are a buyer or seller, choosing a Realtor with a personal Web site should be high on your list of criteria. 

A recent survey commissioned by the California Association of Realtors compared the experiences of "traditional" vs. "Internet" buyers, i.e., those who had made a major purchase using the Internet.

Study findings

According to the survey, Internet buyers:

Depended mainly on the Internet for information about specific properties; traditional buyers relied on driving around to preview homes and/or neighborhoods

Predominantly used the Net for information about the home buying process, including financing options

Took half the time of traditional buyers to find and buy a home; tended to visit only half the number of homes traditional buyers did

Felt better prepared for home buying than traditional buyers

Were younger, with a median age of 32 vs. 38 for traditional buyers

Were better educated and worked in professional or managerial jobs with higher annual incomes than traditional buyers

Were more than twice as probable to be men than traditional buyers

Purchased more expensive homes than traditional buyers

From the seller's perspective

Even in a hot market, it is to a seller's advantage to maximize the number and quality of offers. Having a home featured on the Internet is becoming as important as it being on the Multiple Listing Service.

It is significant to note that Internet buyers visited individual Realtor Web sites almost as often  (89%) as company sites (97%) to find listings. When shopping for an agent, remember the difference between having your property displayed on the company site and the agent's personal site. You want both — it gives you far greater exposure. 

In the survey, both Internet and traditional buyers indicated that the particular agent was more important than his real estate firm. This is consistent with my own personal experience — people work with people, not companies.

Before committing to working with an agent, it makes sense to go on the Internet and compare his site to others. Consider these questions:

Was it easy to find the agent's Web site? If it was difficult for you, will potential buyers be willing to go through the same hassle?

Does the agent have his own, personal, local listings featured? This will indicate whether or not he is doing business in your area.

How are the listings displayed? Are there abundant, attractive photographs accompanied by an appealing written description? Is the site interesting and graphically pleasing?

Sellers are beginning to notice that many real estate salespeople do not have a Web site. Of those who do, a minority have their own, personal Web site. Others rent space on a large company or commercial host site. 

Personal Web sites allow for creativity in design and constant updating. Giant sites, by necessity, have limited options for individual differences. Each agent's page is similar to the others and the individual usually cannot change it substantially.

Many experts agree that having a separate site is preferable because, if it has an appropriate domain name and is linked to the right search engines, it can be found more quickly. First and foremost, the speed of acquiring information is what drives the World Wide Web. 

Final thoughts

The importance of the Internet is an undisputed fact. E-commerce is growing exponentially and is radically affecting residential real estate sales both directly and indirectly. Now, and in the future, an increasing number of buyers and sellers will select their agent from the Internet.

As part of a listing presentation to a seller, agents talk about their "marketing plan." Many omit their Internet marketing strategy. An individual Internet presence is an indispensable part of any professional agent's arsenal in this Web-centric world. Think about this before choosing your next agent.