Saturday, 30 April 2011

Chicago Real Estate Listings For Everyone

By Terri Hamby


Chicago is one of the most beautiful areas in the country in which to live. With its eclectic variety of townhouses, apartments, co-ops, condos and single-family homes it almost impossible not to find exactly what you're looking for. The only problem is where to find Chicago real estate listings to help you get started!

Not long ago house hunters and real estate brokers alike are pretty much limited to finding each other in the newspaper. Brokers would have professional photos taken of their new listings and pay small fortune's to have ads placed in the local newspaper. This usually worked out to everyone's advantage because for anyone who wanted to buy a house this was the easiest way to start the research. Someone would see a house that was interesting, call the number for the broker, and either make an appointment to meet the broker at the office or make an appointment to see the house in question.

Up till about five years ago this was essentially the only way you could look for a house. Brokers relied on this type of advertising to get new customers. However, as the intranet became the medium of choice for research and news, readership plummeted and newspapers found themselves in the financial turmoil.

Not only is every real estate company have their own website nowadays but individual real estate agents advertise their services to the general public almost flaunting their abilities and their listings. Be able to provide this type of information on the web has limitless appeal for everyone involved. No longer restricted by tiny newspaper ads, listing brokers now have unlimited resources in which to provide detailed information on each home for sale.

Every real estate company has its own Web presence now as does every real estate agent. It's almost a match made in heaven! No longer do house hunters need to rely on one real estate agent providing them with information in an MLS computer. This same information is now found online and usually in a more understandable, user-friendly, format offering not only for details but also pictures, video, and multiple contact methods so that a buyer can immediately be put in touch with the broker or seller of the home.

One of the beauties of being able to research homes online is that the seller or the real estate agent has virtually unlimited space in which to describe and advertise the home. Digital photos and panoramic views can be uploaded to show not only each room in detail, but photos from each vantage point. Photos of the yard, next door neighbors, long shots of up and down the street, and in the case of condo complexes or housing developments and photos can be added for the clubhouse, tennis courts, pool, and other common areas.

This type of research is ideal especially for families who may be moving into the Chicago area. The online information not only gives them the use of a house but usually views up and down the street and in cases of a large gated community most likely you will be photos of the entire complex to give you an overall perspective.




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