According to the 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 87% of home buyers used the Internet to search for homes in the past year. What does that mean for a home seller? It means that it's vital for you to know the IQ (Internet Quotient) of your listing agent.

How to find a high IQ agent? Start with an Internet search. Don't search for an agent's name. Think like a home buyer might. Say a buyer is looking for Redding Homes for sale. Try entering that phrase in Google. Skip the giant home search sites and find a local agent. Take a look at the site. Do you get a feel for the agent, or is it a "canned" site identical to many others, purchased from a Real Estate Web Site provider? Look at what the site offers. Does it highlight homes in the area you may be interested in? Does it offer a MLS search? Does it have separate, individual sites for each listing with lots of photographs and information about the house? Is the URL of the property site easy to remember and search engine friendly (e.g. "ErikSellsCaliforniaHomes" or "YrekaHomes.com"  instead of  (www.1234AnyStreet.com)?

Does the site offer community information. If so, this might be a good Realtor to entrust with your listing.

Remember, get to know your Realtor and there philosophy when it comes to Selling your home. The pool of buyers is shrinking the time your home is on the market is critical to the successful sale of your home. Don't waste time with price reductions and failed marketing. 

Next time, we'll take a closer look at the importance of photography in marketing your home. It is amazing how many homes are marketed with dark, cluttered photographs. Or starkly-lit and uninviting flash shots.

DID YOU KNOW?

With about 90% of HOME BUYERS beginning their search online and going about it on their own we are learning that most Buyers will search for about 10 weeks called phase 1, then they enter phase 2 which is the buying stage. Phase 2 is about a two to three week process. So as a home seller there are many simple, inexpensive things you need to keep in mind while your property is on the market. You WANT to keep your property on that list of potential purchases as the Home Buyers are doing there due diligence and shortning the list.