How to empower your house search online

Home shopping online starts out feeling like watching HGTV, with research showing that it’s the first photo that will either draw us in or turn us off, says Michael Seiler, real estate professor at the College of William & Mary.

But when they get serious, buyers have an array of features — and sites are constantly innovating to attract viewers — to help inform purchase decisions.

For instance, Jared Jones, Redfin director of product, suggests users study its unique Tour Insights available on some listings, where Redfin agents who have visited the property “provide details about the home you often can’t tell from photos.”

He also recommends Market Insights (insert a particular town or neighborhood in the site search bar to see this tab). Stats here help buyers learn how quickly homes have recently sold and price trends. For instance, Jones says that if local prices have risen 10 percent in the past year, and homes average only a week on the market, buyers can’t easily bargain.

Similarly, at Zillow, each listing shows whether prices have risen or fallen in the past 12 months, with a Zillow prediction on price trends.

In housing markets, past price moves aren’t a guarantee that the trend will continue, Seiler says, but the past is a more accurate predictor in housing than in the stock market.

If the scarcity of homes for sale in 2020 continues this year, Zillow says that its new 3D tours and auto-generated floor plans on some listings will help buyers submit offers. (Sellers or their agents need the Zillow 3D Home app to upload photos, and then Zillow software creates this feature.)

With 12 percent of buyers now purchasing homes without physically touring them, and other shoppers are needing to pounce on new listings that look like possibilities, Zillow says this feature enhances a realistic view to “help you make a decision more quickly.”