Using Real Estate Agent/Broker v. Real Estate Website

[fic]

I'm old fashioned and tend to think that using a real person (agent or broker) is better than using a real estate listing website, like realestate . com. My girlfriend thinks otherwise. We're thinking about buying a house in ATL.

Can someone please list the pros and cons for both? Don't agents and/or brokers have more access to listings than websites? Or am I wrong and out of touch with technology and the internet.

Thanks in advance.
fic

[JJohnson1985]

The best thing is to use both.

You can use the internet to get ideas and price ranges and see what is available. More in general terms, but possibly you can find houses you would like to see. Web sites are more general and not specific. This can get you into trouble without you knowing it until it's too late. Don't only rely on the web.

You need an agent to make sure your interests are taken care of. There is tons more than just finding the right home. In some ways, that's the easiest part. There are many legal and financial factors involved, let alone negotiating. It is the biggest investment most people make. It is a necessity in my opinion to use an agent because of an agent's experience, knowledge, daily interaction in the industry, and established contacts. The agent works for you to make sure the pieces come together to make it all happen with your best interests in mind. How many real estate transactions have you been a part of? How deeply were you involved in them. How knowledgeable are you about the laws, market, areas ect.? For people who are not involved with real estate as a career, I suggest to use the help of someone who is.

So really use both to their advantages in my opinion. Hopefully this helped.

[Mike Taylor]

I agree with the above comment. To answer your question, when you are searching on an agent's website you will most likely have access to about 99.9% of the homes that the agent does. Rather than use a national website, I would recommend finding a local agent's site that has the listings. If you are looking in Atlanta, try Ryan Ward's site http://www.ryanwardrealestate.com/ out, it is a great site and he is a great agent.