Photograph by Paul Myers

Realtor Thomas Beno of SOMA/Living in Los Gatos works at one of the Internet portals where potential home buyers and sellers can check out listings.

Looking for a new home? Check out the Internet

As people's comfort level with the Internet increases, more of them are using their computers to take care of real estate business online. A recent survey by the California Association of Realtors shows that homebuyers who use the Internet as an integral part of the home-buying process tend to be younger, wealthier and more ethnically diverse than traditional buyers.

According to the association's "2002 Internet Versus Traditional Buyer Study," Internet buyers also spent significantly less time looking at homes and they checked out far fewer homes for sale prior to making a purchase than traditional buyers. Internet buyers also felt they were more in control of the home-buying process than traditional buyers, the association reported.

"The Internet is democratizing the home buying process," said California Association of Realtors President Robert Bailey. "Consumers using the Internet went online to preview homes, to get information on specific homes they wanted to look at with their Realtors and to get information on home financing."

Home buyers who logged on before actually starting to look for a home to purchase showed a higher degree of understanding of the home-buying process, knew what they wanted and, therefore, showed higher levels of satisfaction with their Realtor and their home-buying experience, Bailey indicated.

"The Internet also is leveling the playing field for consumers and more accurately reflects the ethnically diverse population of California," Bailey said. "While the largest ethnic group among Internet buyers was Caucasian at 46 percent, they made up 60 percent of traditional buyers."

Thirty percent of all Internet buyers were of Asian descent, compared to 19 percent of traditional buyers; 18 percent were of Hispanic/Latin-American descent, compared to 16 percent of traditional buyers; and African American and Indian ethnic groups made up the remaining 6 percent of Internet buyers, compared to 5 percent of traditional buyers.

Overall, home buyers using the Internet devoted more time to researching and investigating their home buying options early in the home-buying process than traditional buyers, according to the report. Internet buyers spent an average of 5.8 weeks contemplating their home purchase before contacting a Realtor, almost four weeks more than the traditional buyer's 2.1-week average. Internet buyers also spent 4.5 weeks investigating the market before contacting an agent, almost three weeks longer than the average of 1.8 weeks spent by traditional buyers.

"While Internet buyers spent more time researching and investigating their home-buying options before contacting a Realtor, after contacting a Realtor, traditional buyers spent more than three times as much time looking for a home than Internet buyers," Bailey said. "At the same time, Internet buyers saw significantly fewer homes in their home search than traditional buyers. While traditional buyers went to see an average of 15.2 homes, Internet buyers saw about half as many (7.5 homes)," he said.

Other key findings from the study include:

* Seventy-three percent of Internet buyers went online in search of a real estate agent, and more than three-quarters (79 percent) of Internet buyers found their real estate agent online. By comparison, most traditional buyers found their agent through more traditional methods, including brochures, flyers and mailers (44 percent) and referrals (19 percent).

* The top three websites visited by Internet buyers during the home buying process were real estate company websites (82 percent), Realtor.com (73 percent) and individual real estate agent websites (67 percent).

* Most Internet buyers agreed strongly that using the Internet helped them better understand the home-buying process (65 percent) and put them more in control of the home-buying process (63 percent).

* Internet buyers were primarily contacted by their Realtors via email (88 percent) and telephone calls (36 percent). The primary means of communication for traditional buyers was by telephone (100 percent), as well as "in-person" interaction (35 percent).

* A higher proportion of Internet buyers were first-time homebuyers (11 percent), compared to 6 percent of traditional buyers.

* Married couples constituted the majority of Internet and traditional buyers. Internet buyers comprised 85 percent married couples and 15 percent single buyers. Traditional buyers comprised 79 percent married couples and 21 percent single buyers.

* Sixty-five percent of Internet buyers and 67 percent of traditional buyers had earned a four-year college degree. However, 12 percent of Internet buyers had earned a postgraduate degree, which was significantly more than the proportion of traditional buyers with the same level of education (3 percent).

* Sixty-six percent of Internet buyers earned an annual salary of $150,000 or more, compared to 39 percent of traditional buyers.

* The median age of buyers using the Internet was 37 years, 6 years younger than the median age of 43 years for traditional buyers.

* Internet buyers also purchased more expensive homes than did traditional buyers. The median price of a home for Internet buyers was $452,000, significantly higher than the median of $310,000 for traditional buyers.

* More than half of all Internet buyers (51 percent) reported that the information they received from the Internet was less useful than the information provided by their Realtors.

"Whether you use the Internet or not, choosing a Realtor to help with the transaction is a necessary step in the home buying process," said Alicia Tuvell, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. "There is no substitute for an experienced and knowledgeable agent who can guide you through the intricate disclosures and forms that are part of any real estate transaction."

The California Association of Realtors, headquartered in Los Angeles, is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 103,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors is a local trade organization with 3,000 members representing communities in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

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