Shopping For A Home? This Is Why You Should Use Small Home Search Instead Of Major Property Marketplaces

Do you want to buy yourself a house? If the answer’s YES then it is highly likely that you have already registered for a number of different realty platforms and have made extensive online searches for available properties in your chosen areas; Did you know however, using large property platforms can be unwise, inefficient and even dangerous? The chances are you did not. It is a lot easier for large companies to cover their tracks when they commit acts of fraud and that is exactly what many major property marketplaces are doing on a daily basis.

You might think your personal data is insignificant but it’s not. Some people would pay thousands of dollars for it, especially if you earn a lot of money and have a good job. Major property marketplaces regularly sell user data to marketing companies and sometimes even criminals; if your data falls into the wrong hands it could lead to you being targeted, harassed and bothered for the rest of your life or having money stolen from you. If you want to keep yourself safe when you are looking for a house then this post will tell you everything you need to do as well as why you should avoid large realty sites.

Better Security

Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons why you should be using a small property search platform is because your data will be handled more securely. Large platforms are notorious for mishandling and misusing customer data. It’s a lot easier for larger platforms to make mistakes, too. Because large platforms handle immense volumes of data on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s misplaced or improperly handled, leading to it leaking. Your data falling into the wrong hands could lead to you becoming the victim of fraud.

Because smaller platforms handle a lot less data they tend to take their security much more seriously. Something else to note is that small platforms are trying to build their reputations which means that it’s in their best interests to handle people’s data safely and securely. If they don’t then they could end up losing customers. It takes years to build a good reputation for one’s business and seconds to destroy it. Reputation is everything in business and therefore small platforms take data privacy extremely seriously.

Extensive Searches

When you are looking for a new house or apartment to buy you need to use a platform that’s committed to delivering relevant and accurate information. You also need to use one that allows you to tailor your search according to your needs. If you aren’t able to adjust your search according to your needs you won’t be able to find the property that is right for you. Whether you’re launching a new private Texas real estate search or a Mississippi one, find a platform that allows you to customise your search according to location, property size and price. In terms of price make sure you have a realistic budget worked out. If you don’t have one then finding the property that’s right for you will be impossible.

A good way to tell whether or not a realty platform allows users to make extensive searches is to read their reviews. If a site’s reviews suggest they don’t allow that, then do not use them. Another thing to note is that the vast majority of realty platforms do not actually require users to sign up to conduct searches, so you can make a search without submitting any of your information, keeping you anonymous.

Faster Responses

One of the biggest advantages of using a small property platform over a large one is that you won’t have to deal with delayed responses from realtors. The reason for this is that realtors signed up for small platforms don’t have as many enquiries and requests for viewings which means they’re more responsive. That being said remember the fact that the vast majority of realtors who’re signed up for small platforms will also be signed up for large ones. What this means is that they will probably be getting enquiries about properties on the other platforms that they advertise on.

If you are planning on reaching out to a realtor you need to make sure that you do it over the phone. It’s a lot better to reach out over the phone because you will get an immediate response. Enquiries sent via email aren’t always responded to. When they are, it’s often too late. Calling realtors allows you to verify that properties are still available at the time that you are getting in touch. If you are going to call then make sure that you are polite and confident you want to view the property you are calling about so that you don’t waste anybody’s time.

Accurate Listings

Another advantage of using small platforms is that you are less likely to have to deal with dead, inaccurate listings. Dead listings will be covered in more detail in the next section and this one will focus on the accuracy of listings. When you are searching for a house it’s essential that you get access to accurate listings. Listings that do not contain up-to-date information about the properties they are advertising are misleading and therefore a waste of time. It can be hard to tell whether a listing’s accurate or not without reaching out to the agent. Reaching out to an agent only to discover the listing on their page is inaccurate or no longer available is a waste of time.

For the reasons mentioned in the previous section, small property platforms have to build their reputations from the ground up. To this end it is essential that they have updated, relevant listings posted on their websites. If they do not then people will stop using their service. Most small property platforms take great care to ensure the listings they feature are frequently updated and accurate.

Dead Properties

As mentioned previously dead listings are a big problem for people who’re searching for properties. If you have never encountered such listings before then they are ones that contain information about properties no longer available to buy. In other words, a dead listing is a listing for a property that has already been taken off of the market. It is not actually the realty platform’s responsibility to scrub dead listings; it is the responsibility of the realtors using the platform. That being said realty platforms do need to take steps to ensure their sites are not becoming graveyards for sold properties.

Smaller platforms generally take dead listings a lot more seriously and because of this, ensure they are not featured on their websites. If you want to find a new house but don’t want to have to contend with dead listings then find a platform that’s new, small and has received positive online reviews. If you do end up encountering dead listings then report them to the platform right away so that they can take action against the realtor responsible for removing them and updating them each day.

More Information

On smaller platforms realtors tend to provide more information than they do on larger ones. This is because small platforms expect realtors to be more attentive and caring. On large platforms there is such a huge volume of properties posted each day, nobody is actually checking them to make sure that they are detailed. If you encounter properties on the platform you inevitably choose that do not contain a lot of information or if the realtor is not responsive and helpful make sure that you report them to the platform they are advertising on, as such behaviour is unacceptable.

If you do find a property that you want to find out more about rather than reaching out to the realty platform, get in contact with the realtor directly. Getting in touch with the realtor directly will mean that you are able to get accurate, immediate results. If you get in touch with the realty platform then they will get in touch with the realtor on your behalf. Them getting in touch with the realtor on your behalf could take days or even weeks, as they will send an email, and as mentioned earlier, it’s better to make phone calls when you are making property enquiries.

Better Deals

It’s easier to negotiate better deals with realtors when you are reaching out to them through small property platforms provided that they are not listing properties elsewhere. As mentioned earlier realtors who’re listing houses on small sites tend to get less interest in their properties than they would if they posted them on large ones. Some combat this by posting on more than one platform at the same time. If the realtor you’re dealing with only uses the small platform that you use then you will be able to haggle down the price of the property that they are selling.

For a while now the property market has been performing extraordinarily well. Experts predict that this is going to change in the near future and house prices are going to crash. Realtors are well aware of these predictions and are desperate to sell the houses they have been tasked with getting rid of, as they know sometime in the future they are going to be worth a lot less, and as such, their commissions are going to decrease significantly. Always conduct extensive research and find out whether or not the property you are interested in has been listed elsewhere before you try to negotiate too hard.

Less Competition

One of the good things about small platforms is that there’s less competition for you to worry about. When a desirable property gets posted on a large platform people will be onto it immediately. When properties are posted on small sites, however, fewer people see them and because of this, there’s less interest. Less interest means that you don’t have to fight as hard to get the house that you want.

That being said, you won’t be the only person using the platform you have chosen even if it is very small so you need to do everything that you can to get a good deal and outbid your competitors. Make sure that you have a clear budget in mind so that you know how high you can bid. Never bid more than you can afford to spend.

Customer Support

Small platforms take their reputations very seriously. When people are looking for houses to buy one of the first things that they take into consideration is their chosen platform’s customer support department; some platforms do not have very good customer service desks and because of this, their users find them to be annoying. Nobody’s going to want to do business with a platform that does not have a reliable and responsive support department.

If you want to make sure that the platform you are planning on using has a good customer service department then read their reviews. Negative reviews about customer services are the first things you see on most companies’ review pages. People seldom leave negative reviews unless they have had a bad experience with customer support. Customer support can make or break a company. If the platform you choose does not have a reliable support team then you won’t get your important queries and concerns addressed.

Subscription Packages

Finally, when you use small platforms you tend to get access to much better subscription package deals. Large platforms have a tendency to charge obscene amounts of money for their subscription packages. If you are planning on buying a subscription then buy one on a small platform so that you get a good deal; bear in mind that you don’t necessarily have to buy a subscription since most realty platforms allow you to use their services for free. Rather than making money from subscriptions they make money from partnerships and sponsorships.

Searching for a new house isn’t easy. In fact, it is arguably one of the most difficult things you will ever have to do; if you have been struggling to find your dream house then consider using a home search platform, ideally a small one. When you use a small one you will get to enjoy all of the benefits and advantages mentioned here in this post.