A property search in Charleston, SC just ain’t what it
used to be.
Young adults grew up with computers, so to them the advent
of the connected world—the Internet—brought fewer startling lifestyle changes
than it did for their parents and grandparents. But for anyone who thought the
emergence of the Web would be the most lifestyle-changing technical innovation to
happen in our lifetimes: SURPRISE! Now
the whole circus has gone mobile—migrated into phones and tablets and
who-knows-what other kinds of devices—all bluetoothed and wirelessed everywhere!
The Wired World brought information into our offices and
homes (to the dismay of encyclopedia and dictionary salesmen everywhere); now the
Wireless World brings information to wherever we are at any moment (to the
dismay of mapmakers and newspaper publishers everywhere).
Yikes! One of the most head-spinning results is the
transformation of Charleston property searches. Astoundingly, the NAR tells us
that 62% percent of those who buy homes today view them first online! No wonder—the
Internet has sped up our already busy lives, so our overloaded schedules make
it all but mandatory to look for properties online first—before creating the
list of properties we want to view in person.
One of the things you’ll notice immediately when you begin
an Charleston area property search is the sheer number of results that can come
up. That makes it all too easy to find yourself spending more search time than
you’d like—sometimes even becoming overwhelmed. To make sure that doesn’t
happen, there are a few shortcuts you can take to get the most out of every Charleston
online property search.
Prioritize
A good first step is offline: before you click anywhere, make
a list of all of the things that are absolute “must-haves” for your Charleston area
home. This list will provide the basis for all your searches, and weed out
time-wasters. Next, create a list of “nice to haves.” If your first list yields
too many candidates, use this second one to narrow the field (if your in-person
tours don’t pay off, you can always return to List One).
Narrow the
Area
If you already know the general neighborhood you’d like to
live in, use that to limit the search results. You don’t need to know the area
intimately since many sites allow you to search by map or by radius from a
specific location (like a school or workplace).
Use
Several Sites
There are literally hundreds of real estate search sites,
so make it a point to look at those using Charleston, SC’s MLS (multiple
listing service). They have the broadest assemblage of properties regardless of
the listing agent. Online sites like Zillow.com and Trulia.com can also be
useful in widening your Charleston area property search, frequently including homes
that are for sale by owner—often not listed by the MLS service (though if you
want a buyer agent’s help, you should make sure the owner is willing to work
with your agent).
Ready to start your property search here in Charleston, SC?
Give me a call—I can send you new listings that meet your criteria the instant they
come online!
Interested in selling your Charleston area home? Visit: www.jeffcookrealestate.com
Interested in buying a Charleston area home? Visit: www.discovercharlestonareahomes.com
-Jeff Cook
Jeff Cook
Real Estate
Charleston,
SC
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