Internet Driving More Realtor Leads

I received some new data from Yahoo! about how consumers are using the Internet specifically to select agents (4/08, n=500). Here are top-level findings provided by Yahoo!:

• Consumers spent an average of 12 hours online researching agents and 75% selected an agent within one week of starting their search
• Home buyers and sellers consider approximately two agents before making a final decision
• 74% of people who accessed an agent Web site got there with the help of a search engine
• 45% of respondents used the Internet to learn about agents they didn’t know existed
• 41% discovered special deals and promotions offered from an agent through the Internet

These data offer  more confirmation of the Internet’s influence on consumer decision making. There’s no comparison with word of mouth, which probably accounts for the highest percentage of leads to realtors.