1 in 3 Buyers Now Come From The Internet
Sometimes a picture tells the story:

Obviously newspapers are nearly useless to real estate agents now. The investment that was made in advertising in the papers should be moved to the internet, either through websites or tools to get maximum exposure for the agents listings.
In real estate we have already seen the value of newspapers virtually disappear in terms their power to attract buyers. The following chart is one that I recommend every agent have on hand during a listing appointment. It clearly shows where buyers are finding the homes they buy, and it’s not the newspaper. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.

Pingback by Newspaper is a Dead Mortgage Marketing Vehicle | Top of Mind Mortgage CRM and Marketing Blog on 26 May 2009:
[...] 1 in 3 Buyers Now Come From The Internet [...]
Comment by Victor Lund on 26 May 2009:
Be careful in quoting this data. If a consumer gets listing information from their agent via the internet, it is also included in the summary of the findings.
Furthermore, consumers have already established a behavior whereby they see something in print, then go to the internet for more information. Once they are online – they immediately recognize that the information is far more resourceful than the newspaper.
The newspaper and other print (especially yard signs) are still major drivers of online search. You can see data that we collected from broker websites which shows that more than 85% of visitors to broker websites come from visitors typing in the domain name. Print and other market branding “told” visitors what to type into their browser.
Here is a link to the presentation and there is also a link to the study. Most of the top broker websites in the country participated – the study is free.
http://waves.wavgroup.com/broker-website-effectiveness-study
Comment by Toby Barnett on 26 May 2009:
Newspapers are dinosaurs and not enviromnetally friendly. There is no wonder they go out of business.
Pingback by Real Estate News You Don’t See on the News - from The Cutting Edge - May 26,2009 | Memphis Real Estate Buzz on 26 May 2009:
[...] in 3 Buyers Now Come From The Internet : The Real Estate Bloggers – http://www.therealestatebloggers.com/2009…; Interesting graph shows diminished role of newspapers in selling [...]
Pingback by Should I Have a Mortgage Blog, Website, or Facebook Page? — Lenderama on 26 May 2009:
[...] Hat Tip: The Real Estate Bloggers [...]
Comment by Al Lorenz on 26 May 2009:
The trend is undeniable. Wouldn’t it be great to see real estate advertising spending by category as well? Thanks for the post!
Pingback by Daily Digest for 2009-05-26 | Joe Spake - Memphis Real Estate on 27 May 2009:
[...] Posted an item Joe Spake: 1 in 3 Buyers Now Come From The Internet : The Real Estate Bloggers [...]
Comment by Kevin Schmidtchen on 27 May 2009:
It is good info in front of your face. Many people already assumed this and many also already knew this…but now to see some charts makes it more concrete…thanks
Comment by Joel Carson on 29 May 2009:
Okay, I can go along with newspapers being a historic form of advertising. However, there are still good, loyal clients who prefer to find their information in the newspaper. I agree that we should work toward this trend as our next generation grows older and equip ourselves to provide them with information in any form they want it. However, I’d really hate to lose those other two buyers by ignoring their housing search habits.
Comment by Canton real estate on 1 June 2009:
It is funny to me, but I still see many agents advertising in local newspapers. It is a very expensive mistake. Those advertising dollars need to go into the internet, where people are actually looking.
Pingback by 1 in 3 Buyers Come From The Internet | CBS | Eye on Real Estate on 9 June 2009:
[...] versus new media and real estate has also stirred up some bloggers (see BHG Real Estate Blog and The Real Estate Bloggers) as a sample of those who’ve weighed in with their opinion? What do you think? Do you prefer [...]
Comment by Alfred on 16 June 2009:
Frankly I’m surprised it’s not over 50% coming from the Internet. It is bar-none the best way get view listings.
Comment by Inchirieri Apartamente on 22 June 2009:
Internet is very important in our days for your business.If you have a business with no site , it means that you are dead.But if you have a site for your business, you will make a lot of money.
Pingback by Real Estate Roundup - Week 26 on 26 June 2009:
[...] 1 in 3 Buyers Now Come From The Internet by Tom Royce at The Real Estate Bloggers [...]
Comment by Tom Murtagh on 15 July 2009:
I am really enjoying your site, though some of the info is depressing. (Such as the vacancy rate in apartments currently.) Just kidding. I look forward to coming here daily, actually.
Apropos of the one in three buyer stat…we just launched our new site last week. Please pass it around, if you don’t mind.
Luck.
Tom
Comment by Mark Jacobs on 17 July 2009:
Print is on the way out and cost to much. I can deliver more content online for a lot less.
Comment by Festus Missouri Real Estate on 22 August 2009:
The numbers relating to where home buyer start thier search are even more lopsided. Over 50% of homes buyers initial start there search on the web. This is before they even think about selecting a buyers agents. If you don’t have a good web presence you are really missing out.
Comment by Bruce Dietz on 13 September 2009:
Internet marketing is essential to the success of any real estate business. If you really want to amplify your internet presence, check out SEO companies.
Comment by Fort Myers REOs on 16 September 2009:
It’s more practical to advertise on the internet for marketing your REAL estate properties. There are so many classified ads on the web offering free listing – other also do it in the form of having a website – optimizing it based on SEO do’s. If they able to rank on Google – which is the most widely use Search engine will give them high percentage of website visitors that later on may be turn to leads.
Fort Myers REOs
Comment by Pasco REOs on 16 September 2009:
Advertising on Print Ads such as Newspapers, flyers, etc. are too costly. And you cannot assure that your investment with those print ads will give you profits. That’s why many of advertisers now prefer to user the internet. Billions of People browse the internet everyday much higher than those who read newspapers. Marketing on the Internet can give you more higher leads – or what we call client
Pasco REOs
JAMES GOSSETTE
Comment by Charlotte Rouse on 22 September 2009:
What SEO companies is giving you the best listing and byers lead, and is one marketing strategy better then another?
Charlotte Rouse
Comment by Samantha Dawson on 15 October 2009:
Posting your ads over the internet is more practical, because its cheap sometimes it is free and it easily spread all over the web. There are a lot of sites that you can use to post your ads like craigslist and backpage.
Comment by NorfolkBankOwned on 16 October 2009:
I agree with Bruce Dietz response, internet marketing is really essential in a real estate business. Studies shows that 1 of 3 buyers cane from the internet, so getting internet leads is really important.
Comment by Brad Yzermans on 23 October 2009:
This confirms what we know but still so may agents dump money into print……they just won’t let go and accept the changes.
Comment by Central Oregon Homes on 6 November 2009:
Print Ads is the popular way to advertise among seniors in the business industry but today it seems like it all fades…means nowadays,print ads is wasting money. A lot of money,instead of following the hi-tech trend today in advertising,which is online advertising. But some remains old ways. That’s their choice and maybe a strategy.
Comment by Ivan Crago Missoula Realtor on 6 December 2009:
Newspaper advertising is still good for self marketing, but I’m only seeing one or two agents putting properties in the paper consistantly, it’s now all online.
Comment by Richard van Seenus on 9 January 2010:
I’m also finding that people like use the internet to do their own research, before talking with an expert. I’d love to see stats on that as well. Thanks for the info.