I came across a great post by NY Realtor Christine Forgione. Here’s a classic quote which applies to all regions:

“When a homeowner is looking to buy or sell one of the first things that they should do is Google their area. This is a great tool to see who is active on the internet and who is not. I have written many posts about how a person should hire an agent. If you don’t see your Aunt Sally’s friends daughter coming up on any internet search then my first suggestion is to stay away from that agent. If the agent can not take time to get your listing onto the internet other than Realtor.Com then they are doing a huge disservice to the seller!”

Truth be told, in these parts of southeast PA not many agents are truly leveraging the internet. Some have paid big $$$ to get a canned site by a California-based real estate website designer, but even those sites are not much more than a template with an agent photo added in the top corner. These days, 87% of buyers start with the internet (not my stats – NAR’s). If you are considering selling, ask what your agent will do for you in cyberspace. If you are buying, ask if the agent does more than print off MLS sheets but knows what’s happening in Lancaster in 2007…choose an agent who is active online sharing his/her expertise with the public as a resource for consumers.

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