How to search a property online?

How to search a property online?

Gone are the days where the only way to search for a property was through the real estate agents before the internet came into existence. The internet has now brought such a contrasting change to list the Upcoming properties in Chennai for free and allowing everyone to see it as well.

Back then, the only way we had was to scout for sale signs on the doors or to get printed copies of property listings from the real estate agents. This does not stop here if a buyer wants to view all the available properties in a location or based on their preferences, they had to meet the real estate agents in their office. There was no other way to search for a property for sale in Chennai.

Well, things have changed a lot by now. More than 90% of the home buyers are searching properties online. It does make sense to search for a property online from anywhere, anytime! It does not only give you results based on your preferences but provides you with updated ones. Searching for a home online saves you a lot of time and also helps in narrowing down the search to a manageable list.

All you need to do is just search for properties in a specific location and you will be served with all the relevant information along with the location advantages, say, nearby schools, colleges, institutes, leisure places, and so on.

“If I have to search for a property online, I would search for properties in Chennai since I live in Chennai currently.”

Today, the internet had completely stepped onto another level to take you through a virtual tour on a property you like to see right from where you are sitting. Just imagine how it would be to visit the property of your choice from where you are without even taking one step out.

The internet has changed a long way from “displaying products to buy” to “helping you buy products”. There is a lot of differences between “displaying what you have to buy and helping what you want to buy”

I will take you through some basic tips on how to search a property online. By following these fundamental tips, you can see a drastic difference in the entire journey of your property search.

Find out high-quality real estate websites

Today, the internet is full of low-quality websites where everyone gets the opportunity to get a profit. With that being said, I would recommend you to avoid such websites and would suggest you search for sites that offer a quality user experience with integrated Multiple Listing Service (MLS).

If you are planning in moving to Chennai, then you can find a lot of relevant information about different types of property for sale in Chennai only on high-quality websites.

Then, how do you find such high-quality websites?

All you have to do is to check whether the following functionalities are available on the real estate website you look for.

Does it have clear information on the community?

This is especially useful if you are moving to a new location. If you know about the community where you are going to raise your children, you can have peace of mind down the road.

A great real estate website will not only cover this but more insights on the community and configurations on the properties as well. Let’s say, if you are searching for apartments in Chennai, then you should look whether the website provides you with enough information on the apartments for sale in Chennai. This applies to other locations as well, not only Chennai.

It should also have all the relevant pictures of the area, plans, floor plans, and other recreational amenities that they offer in the project.

Check if the website has a blog

Other than the information of the community and the area, it is important to have integrated a real estate blog to the website that gives real estate updates and real estate news regularly. A good real estate blog allows the users to consume a lot of information right from the real estate investment, how to buy an apartment to how to avail a home loan to buy a property to everything that’s related to real estate.

It is imperative that the website not only “displays the properties to buy” but “helps you buy properties”.

Is the website easy for you to navigate and use?

Sometimes, navigating around a website can be really difficult. This can be a real pain if you cannot find what you are looking for. Most real estate websites prompt to register first to view the listing. But, according to me, this frustrates me a lot and I would jump out of the site immediately to search for another website to find what I want.

I would say, you should search for websites that provide you with good service and offer you free access with Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to view the properties.

Check if the website is up to date

The website’s design should have an exceptional user experience that should reflect that the website’s owner really cares about the buyer and also incorporated new technology. If the website has got striking designs & display, it means the owner cares about the home buyer’s needs. Some websites provide you other pop-up ads and other sidebar images where it distracts from the actual property. Make sure the website provides you with highly competent service, then they are most likely good in real life as well.

For example: To simply put, if you are searching for Villas in Chennai, then the web page you are viewing displays distracting properties that are located in other locations like Villas in Hyderabad then, I would say, just come out and look for other high-quality relevant websites which are abundant today.

2. How do you configure your property search settings?

As far back the MLS listings have become accessible on the web, home buyers have undertaken the property search all on their own. This means the real estate agents’ services are no longer needed for the buyers to pick out the property of their choice.

The evolution of the real estate industry has made it a lot easier for the buyers to pick the property in so many ways. Since the MLS listings allow to access a lot of information, it makes somehow suffocate the home buyer with more unnecessary elaboration on the details of the project. All I want to see its location advantages, VR tour, master plan, floor plan and most importantly the price of the apartment I am looking for. That's it! But the improper usage of these facilities by some listers is distracting a lot of buyers from what they really want.

In my opinion, I would pick out the best real estate builder in Chennai based on how cleverly they use these platforms to satisfy the needs of the home buyers.

3. Avoid these things while searching for property online

Since I have been in a home buyer’s shoes one day, it never stops to amuse me when my friends call and share that they have found their dream home online and they are driving across the city to visit the project. It is completely understandable that you might also feel really excited to have found your dream home after months of hunting apartments online. But, if you haven’t aware of the real estate market, would it be good to buy the first property you visit?

I have seen people become sad when they actually visit the site. Remember people, buying a home isn’t like buying a delicious cake in the shop. Of course, it also needs some of the taste analysis in flavors but, real estate investment is something which you shouldn’t have to take an impulse decision that is going to serve you for years to come.

Try not to take an impulse decision by committing these mistakes in the journey of your property search

Try not to interpret data incorrectly

Since most real estate agents have access to display all the data & configuration types of the property listings on the websites, it doesn’t mean that they are an expert in that area. Just because of an agent displays flats for sale in Chennai on their website doesn’t mean they are an expert in residential flats. The same is also applicable to the commercial real estate as well.

Most times, users might take in this data wrongly and misinterpret the data that is shown on the website. Go for the websites that have data that helps in deciding whether it is a good match for your preferences.

Try to check websites that have what you are looking for

Most home buyers usually research on their own by searching the properties in a neighborhood under an array of price ranges. Remember, there is always a good chance that their search ends up close to their budget. But, a well designed real estate website should offer homes that are relevant to the buyer’s search, price, various configuration types they will look for. For instance, if someone is looking for plots for sale in Chennai or Flats in Chennai, the consumer would effortlessly sort through the property listings that will match their preferences & relevance.

Do not restrict the search too much

The most common mistake every home buyer commits is they restrict their price setting too much while viewing the properties online. I have seen buyers doing this. For instance; If a buyer is considering to buy luxury villas for sale in Chennai from top builders in Chennai for 75 Lakhs, they stick to this price alone. They don’t consider searching villas in Chennai for around 85 lakhs, so this makes impossible to display the properties that cost above 75 lakhs. The reason why you shouldn’t restrict is that, if you want to buy property in Chennai that costs 82 lakhs, then negotiating the price can get you till 75 lakhs if you’re lucky. So always maximize the price settings when you are searching properties online.

Do not look for homes you cannot afford

Searching properties online is a great way to start your home buying journey. As times passes, progress the journey by narrowing down the information you gather. Most home buyers end up wasting time by looking for properties beyond their planned price range. It is agreeable that the pictures of those luxury villas in OMR look beautiful but it should not distract you from your planned budget.

If you like to buy that luxury villa in OMR and couldn’t get pre-approved for a home loan, then you might get disappointed. Instead, plan and set a budget and try to look for homes that are close to your budget and relevant to you.

4. Beware of the real estate images which look better online

It is real that the agents take effort and spend money to take professional pictures of the property. They want to make the properties appear presentable and beautiful with good lighting. Of course, buyers usually look at the pictures first before making their way for a site visit. There are many other tweaks that go on to produce an image looks better online. The whole point of these efforts is to please the buyer’s eyes to make them visit the property for sale in Chennai. But buyers should be aware of these real estate tactics in deciding to visit the site in person.

Today agents can post more images than before taking advantage of MLS. Now that an agent can post up to 15 images of the same kitchen from different angles. This way you consume a lot of time to flip through the images to get the resonance of the property.

In my opinion, few images like the aerial view of the property or the gated community take so many tweaks to get the view. So instead of directly jumping to visit the site in person, see, think and decide whether to visit the site or not. But there are few properties that look the same as the images displayed in the site. It takes a genuine developer to display the images that look the same in reality as well. These kinds of mistakes could happen, unfortunately, so be prepared to slightly disappointed or beware of these tricks to buy a property that truly triggers you to buy.

All things considered,

Searching for property online is a great way to start your home buying process. It helps in speeding up the learning curve and you can also familiarise with the real estate market today. If you follow the above-mentioned tips, you are not only saving your time & energy but also will be able to buy property in Chennai from a reliable and reputed builder in Chennai. Buying a home is a long journey and if you aware of certain tricks and tactics then you can buy your dream home without falling into traps.