“The wealth of information now available at the click of a finger amazes me.”

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

As I have said many times, buying or selling a home is one of the largest financial decisions most of us make in our lifetime. To help ease the stresses of such a purchase, buyers and sellers turn to online Real Estate information to help guide their journey.

Did you know that, according to the NAR 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 82% of people found online information useful in finding a home?

The popularity of easy-to-access information has been a boon to real Estate and a hindrance at the same time.

Let me Explain…

High quality information that is relevant to buyers’ and sellers’ situations makes real estate transactions easier. Unfortunately, not all information found online is of high quality, nor will all of the information found pertain to your situation.

In order to help my fellow Sanpete County residents and future residents find the best information online, I am going to share my go-to sources for real estate information.

Real Estate Information Sources for Buyers and Sellers

Realtor.org: Realtor.org is the website portal for the National Association of Realtors, the largest trade organization in America. It represents 1.1 million members. Their membership is composed of professionals in the field of residential and commercial real estate, including: Realtors, salespeople, property managers, appraisers, counselors and many others.

A search on Realtor.org will often provide statistics and guides of the highest quality.

Realtor.com: This website was originally created to help provide real estate information and listings from all over the country. They have access to 97% of MLS listings. Realtor.com provides information that is up-to-date and kept in check by the National Association of Realtors. You can search for properties and read insightful Q&A’s about many popular topics.

The National Association of Realtors is heavily intertwined with Realtor.com. This website has helped provide up-to-date information backed by industry professionals. In fact, Realtor.com is direct competition to Trulia and Zillow.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is some good information on Zillow and Trulia. However, a common issue with these sites is inaccurate or outdated information. Home value estimates in particular have been a hot button of debate on these sites.

Real estate professionals warn that a home value depends on the local market. So beware that recommended values may be incorrect on these sites. Don’t believe everything you read!

Researching Properties Locally

One of the biggest needs you will have when looking for a home or preparing to sell is current MLS listings. I find local sites provide a much better experience, due to less advertising.

I am a little biased, though, since my site HomesInSanpete.com provides free access to the Wasatch MLS, along with the ability to save searches. Saving searches is a great way to show your Realtor what you are interested in. HINT!

Try It: Save Properties For Later On HomesInSanpete.com

My broker, Sanpete Valley Realty, also provides this service, along with an easy way to contact any member of our team.

If you are going to look for homes in Sanpete County, what better place to be than on a local site that can help answer your questions one-on-one when you have them.

Location Research

Sometimes there is no better source of information than Google itself.

Google Maps and Google Earth: These resources provide a fantastic way to get a bird’s-eye view of cities, neighborhoods, and individual properties.

Local Financing

Statewide Funding Ephraim: The Statewide Funding office in Ephraim is a fantastic family run office that understands the needs of Sanpete County’s residents. They understand the local market, and specifically, the Historical and older home market in Sanpete County. I recommend all my clients look into their services.

Security National and the Ephraim Branch: Security National has a heavy presence in Utah and has grown substantially in size in the past few years.

Local Lending and Investing Businesses: Make sure to check out all your options. There are quite a few lending options, even in our county.

Home Inspections

Aerolite: This inpection company services the Wasatch area, and I have seen many customers pleased with their service.

Watch Dogs Home Inspectors: They serve Utah and Nevada and have performed over 11,000 inspections.

Home Warranty Companies

A home warranty can give you peace of mind when moving into your new home. For more information on home warranties, read my Is a Home Warranty Worth the Money? post.

Landmark Home Warranty

Old Republic Home Protection

Alpine Home Warranty

First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation

For Sale By Owner and Rental Information Sources for Sanpete County

KSL.com Homes Listings: KSL provides classifieds within the area, and you can often find FSBO properties not listed on the MLS.

ForSaleByOwner: This site can help the FSBO individual with tools and advice.

General Webpages for Sanpete Residents

Sanpete Business Directory: From agriculture to sports and recreation, this site will help you find the local business that can help with just about any issue.

Facebook Groups

Sanpete’s Trash to Treasures: A fantastic group of people for buying and selling many items in Sanpete County.

Sanpete County Rentals

Sanpete Area Homes: This Facebook group showcases many of the homes for rent or sale in Sanpete County. Request to join, they are quick to respond.

*I receive no payment or financial gain from the sites listed here.

If you ever come across information on real estate you feel may be incorrect or confusing, please reach out. As a Realtor, I am always ready to help clarify or point you in the right direction.

If you have any other great sources of information to share, please tell me about them in the comments.

The post How To Avoid Online Real Estate Information Overload appeared first on HomesInSanpete.com.