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Some Basic Tips on Home-hunting in Cyberspace

Buying and selling real estate "is such a personal and emotional process that ultimately most people need to find a broker they like and trust to help them with the process," says DeWolfe New England's Barbara Currier. And, she adds, "listings come and go so quickly" in hot markets that what you see on your computer screen may not always be the most up-to-date information available. That said, however, she and fellow professionals praise the Internet as an excellent resource for those who want to familiarize themselves with a wide range of home-buying options.

The World Wide Web offers a wealth of information on real estate--probably more than anyone needs. ("Our industry probably has more websites than any other industry on-line, and we work hard to make them very user-friendly," Currier notes.) A good place to start is with the major search engines, such as Yahoo, Excite, or Infoseek. Generally you can find a real-estate category right on the search engine's home page. Netscape's real-estate page, for example, can help you find a house, research a possible new neighborhood, and even apply for a mortgage.

One of the most useful tools--"https://excite.netscape.com/real_estate/find/"--lets you plug in your individual parameters: the area in which you're interested (by city and state), the type of property you're looking for (condominium, cooperative, farm, loft, single-family house...), the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the price range, and whether the property is offered by the owner, an agent or broker, or the builder. The search engine will then list the properties that fit those parameters. (A similar tool--"https://excite.netscape.com/real_estate/rent/"--allows you to search for house or apartment rentals if you're not quite ready to take plunge of buying your new home right away.)

The same site can help you research your prospective neighborhood without leaving your old one, or even your home. There are links to companies such as Acxiom Data Quick, which will provide you with a report on crime in a given area for five dollars, and to SchoolMatch, an on-line, nationwide school-report service.

Many of the search engines link directly to "www.realtor.com"--the official site of the National Association of Realtors. That site links in turn to the Realtor Yellow Pages, searchable by state, and to a "resource center" site for consumers. One of the most practical tools on the latter site can help you estimate interstate moving costs within the United States. By plugging in information on the number of people in your household, the number of furnished rooms, and your origin and destination, you can figure out the approximate cost of your move. A salary calculator, also available on this site, can help you compare the costs of living in various cities in the United States, or even between cities in this country and abroad. If you're moving from New York City to Sioux City, for example, this tool can tell you how much further your dollar will go in Iowa.

And if you're actually ready to spend those dollars, some of these same sites can help you find out more about the financial options and the procedures involved. The resources range from glossaries of terms and lists of frequently asked questions to postings of current mortgage rates and products to mortgage applications themselves. One caveat: Be careful about just what information you send out over the 'Net. The Boston Globe reported this summer on the possibility of criminals "highjacking" mortgage seekers to counterfeit sites, obtaining more personal information than is required by legitimate mortgage applications (mother's maiden name, for example), and then using that information for their own illegal ends.

There are also a number of World Wide Web sites dedicated specifically to retirement living. The Guide to Retirement Living page located at "www.retirement-living.com", for example, lists housing alternatives for retirees, including assisted living, continuing-care retirement communities, and independent-living communities. New Lifestyles Online at "www2.newlifestyles.com/newlifestyles" provides capsule information on selected residential-care facilities and retirement communities in more than 32 major metropolitan areas across the United States. Senior Sites ("www.seniorsites.com") offers a national listing of nonprofit retirement housing facilities that is searchable by state. In addition, you can plug in the various amenities you require, such as housekeeping, meal service, or transportation, and Senior Sites will provide a list of the facilities that suit your needs.

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