Today’s technology streamlines the house-hunting process to help buyers sift through the thousands of listings available and narrow down the options. Combine this with the expertise of a real estate agent and you have a time-saving combo!

House hunting online is not only a safe way to shop for homes during the pandemic, but it also gives your real estate agent a better understanding of what you want and like in a property.

So how do you save time using online property portals?

Create a checklist - Use the filter options to narrow down your searches to properties that have the features you consider the most important e.g the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, or whether you need a home office space. If properties pop up in searches that you wouldn't have considered before, like for example a townhouse instead of a freestanding home would you be willing to consider viewing the property? 

Explore the neighbourhood -  Maybe you have been thinking about buying a home but not sure what the neighbourhood is like, neighbourhood profiles will allow you to find out a bit more about a certain suburb and will also allow you to see if it will fit your lifestyle. This is particularly convenient if you are an out-of-town buyer. 

Use other tools to help with the process - The biggest time saver on these portals is the ability to send you alerts when new properties hit the market that matches your saved search criteria.

The ‘favourite’ option is also a great way for buyers to keep track of the listings that catch their attention. You are not only creating a list that you can show to your partner but you are also creating a list of the agents that work in that particular market, which allows you to later easily contact them and find the right agent for you.