Most Homebuyers Still Use REALTORS^®—And the Internet

Technology has made a huge impact on the way people buy, sell and research homes, but a growing number of consumers rely on professional REALTORS^® to help them with their transaction. The National Association of REALTORS’^® Real Estate in a Digital Age report finds that 88 percent of buyers in 2014 purchased their home working with a real estate agent, up from 83 percent in 2010.

Consumers report that finding the right property is the most difficult step in the home-buying process, and 4 in 10 buyers looked for properties online at the beginning of the search process. There are generational differences in consumer behavior: 94 percent of millennials looked for homes online last year, compared to 84 percent of baby boomers and 65 percent of the “Silent Generation.” Nearly half of all homebuyers (43 percent) first found the home they ended up purchasing online, up from just 8 percent in 2001.

“Consumers have the ability to do more home-buying research online and be more connected during the home search process than ever before, but research proves they are still seeing the value a REALTOR^® brings to the transaction, from the initial search to well after the closing,” said NAR President Chris Polychron, executive broker with 1st Choice Realty in Hot Springs, Arkansas. “REALTORS^® bring great value to buyers from every generation, demographic and location as well as in every financial and familial situation. So while consumers have more technological tools available at their fingertips, REALTORS® are now more than ever a part of the home-buying and selling equation.”