Shopping for a House - Websites

Now that I am in the mood to shop for a house, I am learning all kinds of things from a Buyer's viewpoint. While being an agent, I told all of my clients of the importance of lots of good photos. I would now add the importance of good panoramic video. Once this is taken care of, then a house needs to be listed on as many websites as possible.

• The local Board that manages the MLS system for the area. In Ottawa, there are restrictions on the local Board to how many photos can be loaded into the listing. However, the Board has provided space for agents to link the listing to other sites.
• My former brokerage had its own site for Royal LePage agents
• The listings were loaded on the national site MLS.ca
• I have/had my own site plus the ActiveRain site
• My photos, description and panoramic videos were loaded on a site specific to the address of the house.
• Agents and home Sellers also have the opportunity to list on Kijiji and Craigslist.

Just a couple of reminders:

• Make sure that you have excellent photos. Hire a professional photographer to get the best results.
• Avoid the 'fish eye' lens where possible as the distortion is hard for some people to understand. While you get to see 'more' of the room, it also looks bigger, wider, longer and just off kilter.
• Don't forget to update the sites that are in your control, during the sale and after the home is sold. Nothing looks as bad as an interior shot of the living room with a Christmas tree when it is July and sweltering hot.