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SSIR has launched a new responsive website with unprecedented property search technology, www.steamboatsir.com.

What can’t you buy on the Internet these days? Between Amazon and eBay, you can shop for just about anything with a few quick clicks.

But is it a good idea to buy your home online?

The short answer is no. “A website can give you a ton of information that saves a lot of time, but at the end of the day, acute property value can not be determined by an algorithm,” says Nancy Ihlenfeldt, Marketing Director for Steamboat Sotheby’s International Realty. “A website also can’t help you with negotiating, advising, strategizing, not to mention the insane amount of legal and contractual work that goes into every real estate transaction.”

Websites have, of course, changed the way Realtors® do business. A 2016 study by the National Association of REALTORS® found that 89 percent of home buyers used a website in their search and 57 percent used a mobile app or website. And 42 percent of house hunters looked at online listings before contacting a real estate agent.

The good news is that websites are creating more informed homebuyers, saving them time, frustration and confusion in the search for their new home—no more driving around viewing properties that don’t meet a client’s needs.

The bad news is that many of the big real estate websites like Zillow and Trulia are riddled with outdated and incorrect information. “Clients request information about a house they found on the website Zillow, only to find out the house isn’t for sale or the price estimate is wrong,” Ihlenfeldt says. “‘Zestimates’ have been found to be overwhelmingly inaccurate.”

That’s where our new web site comes in.

For starters, steamboatsir.com has information that is accurate and up to date. It also delivers local insider information on neighborhoods, schools and community not available on national websites, yet we still offer everything else that they provide.

But what’s really cool is the technology. We’ve got the best photography including 3D video. We’ve got the most updated and accurate local and property information. We’ve got a responsive site that will format (customize) itself to work on any device (desktop, mobile, tablet, etc). Plus, you can search by a myriad of criteria to find what you’re looking for based on your specific needs.

Still the web site is intended as a first step. “We’ve given you the best tool to get you started but the next step is our Realtors®,” Ihlenfeldt says. “The details and nuances of a property are significant and require a human element.”

 


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