Casually browsing through real estate listings online has become a national pasttime in the US. Whether you're doing it for fun or you are actually shopping for a home, beware those bright flashy buttons on your website of choice. Those buttons look harmless enough, but do you know what they do?
Scheduling a tour connects you to a real estate agent who will be expecting you to use them for your transaction, this feature isn't making an appointment for you to bring your own buyer agent to the property and it doesn't connect you to the listing agent.
Request Info sends a message to multiple agents who have paid to get leads from this site. Once you click, those agents are adding you to their marketing plan. Emails, texts, phone calls.
Start Now is usually referring to the beginnings of a loan application. If you've ever done this and then wondered why your phone and inbox exploded within hours, that's why. Even 8f you don't enter your info into a form, you're being tracked and they have more information about you than you think they do.
These buttons are lead generators. The information you're sending isn't going to the listing agent or a carefully vetted partner. Those leads are going to the highest bidder and the Do Not Call list doesn't apply once you click, read the fine print and buyer beware.
Before you start your house hunt, do your homework. Find a qualified buyer agent to help you with your transaction. Do this BEFORE you start looking at homes and don't leave your choices about who you work with to a roll of the dice. Allow your carefully vetted agent to help you find financing, you could be missing out on great programs you qualify for if you go it alone. Make sure the team you assemble to help you with the biggest investment of your life is a good one.
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