Seventy-two percent of California home buyers use the Internet

The share of Internet buyers has grown from 28 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2007, while the share of traditional buyers declined from 72 percent in 2000 to 28 percent in 2007. Growth in the use of the Internet in the home buying and selection process has been accelerated by the growth in broadband use.
• Many home buyers preferred the dynamic online experience that the Internet offers over the static paper experience that print advertisements offer. Only 12 percent of all home buyers looked at newspaper/magazine ads to search for a home, while more than seven of ten home buyers used the Internet as a significant part of the home buying and selection process.

• “Multiple pictures/slide shows” continued to be the online feature with the highest rating among all online features, followed by “Map/Directions”.
Internet buyers were pleased with their experience of using the Internet during the home buying process, as 98 percent expressed above average levels of satisfaction. Almost all agreed that using the Internet helped them better understand the home buying process, more than nine of ten agreed that the Internet helped them understand home values better, and nine of ten agreed that using the Internet put them more in control of the home buying process.

- California Association of Realtors