LindaAllison Gray

Difference of a Decade in Real Estate Marketing

What a difference the past decade has made in real estate marketing!

10 years ago the top methods of marketing a house were ‘for sale’ signs planted in the front yard, newspaper ads and open houses. Hardly anyone thought about viewing homes on the internet.

Today, almost all buyers begin their home search online where they find everything they need. From the privacy of their own home they can now do a free search of the MLS to find property listings in all neighborhoods. Buyers are able to view multiple photos of each property to get a better sense of the home before making a personal visit. Community information and mapping features lead right to the address to allow buyers to drive-by their top choices at their convenience.

Did you know the median age of homebuyers now is 39 - same as it was in 1999. But the difference now is an increase of single people purchasing homes. Of the homes purchased last year most buyers were married couples. While single men purchased 7% of the homes in 1999, they purchased 10% of all homes last year. 21% of all homebuyers in 2009 were single women – up from 15% 10 years ago.

If you are thinking about making a move, you can begin by visiting www.lindaAgray.com where you can search homes in the Northern Ohio MLS on your own or sign up to have newest home listings emailed directly to you as soon as they hit the market.

Remember, now through April 30, 2009 there are great tax breaks for for 1st Time Buyers as well as Move-Up Buyers.  The current tax incentives along with today’s low interests rates make the American Dream of Homeownership more possible than ever.