The Best Of Both Worlds: Online Info And A Real Estate Agent

(NAPSA)-Starting the house hunting process online can save you valuable time, and help make the entire transaction a little easier-especially if the buying information comes from a reliable source, such as a licensed real estate professional.

Many home buyers visit Web sites set up by real estate agencies, because these sites offer detailed property information, multiple photos and virtual home tours, maps of home locations, neighborhood and community information and general real estate industry information.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, among national full service real estate firms, Century 21 Real Estate Corporation ranks highest in overall satisfaction for first-time homebuyers and highest in overall satisfaction with Internet services provided to home sellers.

To make your house hunting easier, here are some helpful hints from www.Century21.com:

• Start by creating a list of features and amenities you may want in a home.
• Talk to a real estate professional about where you want to live. Location is a huge part of any move.
• See what you can afford. Start by crunching the numbers using an online mortgage calculator.
• Get pre-approved for a mortgage. This process can take less than an hour and can tell you how much house you can afford and estimate your monthly payments.
• Brush up on important real estate terms. Understanding these key terms will help you to make the most informed decisions possible.
• Use the Internet to help narrow your search. Viewing photos and virtual tours of homes made available online can help you narrow down your list of potential purchases.
• Remember to keep an open mind when you are looking at homes. Your real estate professional will be able to assist you.
• When you are ready to make an offer on a home, use a real estate professional to help negotiate the best price.
• After your offer is accepted, your real estate professional will assist you in setting up and coordinating various inspections. This may be a good time to consider purchasing a home protection plan against unexpected costs of home repairing during the listing period.
• Once you close the deal, you may want to arrange for an alarm system, turning on the electricity and subscribing to a local newspaper or making home repairs. Your real estate agent may be able to offer some money saving advice.

Save yourself valuable time by beginning your own home search online at www.Century21.com, where you can locate a real estate professional in your community.

J.D. Power and Associates 2001 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on responses from 3,252 home buyers and sellers. Study conducted for Cendant Corporation by J.D. Power and Associates.

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