 |
 |
Home Buying Online: ZipRealty's Purchasing Tools
By Jonathan Haeber
CMR Columnist
 E-mail Friend
 Printer Friendly
ZipRealty's CEO, Eric Danziger says that "77 percent of prospective home buyers and sellers start their search online." The Emeryville, California-based ZipRealty lists homes in 15 metropolitan markets and employs over 900 real estate agents.
Though Wall Street hasn't been so kind to the company, I actually liked the service. I was part of the 77-percent of prospective home buyers who looked online for a home. Ultimately, a ZipRealty agent led me to a great condo, perfect for my needs.
The Home Loan and Buying Benefits of ZipRealty
In the months that followed my home purchase, I noticed that ZipRealty began evolving into an even better online real estate tool. Now a prospective home buyer can limit their search by zip code or city.
Home searchers can tour rooms virtually, online, before they decide on looking at the home in person. Prospective buyers can also 'save' homes in their online profile, so that they have quick and easy access to them later. One of the newest features allows you to track the prices of homes as time goes by and compare the prices with comparable homes recently sold in the area.
The greatest benefit of ZipRealty is its commission check. Whenever a buyer purchases a home through ZipRealty they receive 20% of the sales commission--a refund in the thousands. I bought my house within the time frame of a month, without even meeting my ZipRealty agent!
Working Out Your Ideal Home Mortgage Amount
Before you go searching for a home through any real estate agent, you'll need to see how much of a home loan you can afford. You should also search for your home through more traditional venues for comparison.
You can use mortgage calculators to estimate how much of a home loan you can afford to get started, but when you're ready to get serious about finding a home, you'll want to get quotes or even pre-approval from home mortgage companies, so you'll know exactly how much home you can purchase, and you'll be able to make an offer once the perfect home comes along.
About the Author
Jonathan Haeber is a marketing writer for Discovery Channel Stores. He recently purchased his first home, and took a self-taught crash course in home mortgages.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
