How the Internet is Changing Real Estate in Las Vegas and Henderson

New data shows what a vital role the internet plays for both buyers and sellers nationwide as well as the Las Vegas real estate market.  Results of a study produced by Google and the National Association of Realtors are below.

Key findings were:

  • 90 percent of homes searches started online
  • Buyers perform about a dozen searches before taking action on a site
  • 86 percent of buyers use video to find out more about communities such as Lake Las Vegas, Aliante or Rhodes Ranch.
  • The majority of buyers watch property videos on YouTube
  • The age bracket most likely to take action on a real estate website is 25-34

This report found that over the last four years, home searches online have increased 253 percent. Not surprisingly the study also confirmed that the majority of home buyers begin their search online with very specific search words. For example according to Google, “Green Valley Ranch Real Estate” and “Sun City Anthem Homes” are highly searched key phrases right now.

The internet has given the buyer more data at their fingertips than ever before. Gone are the days of visiting the broker’s office for housing statistics or additional local information. The current generation can read Vegas home builder reviews online, watch videos on YouTube about Boulder City biking, look up walk scores for various neighborhoods and analyze ratings for the Clark County School District,  all from the comfort of their home or mobile device. Today’s buyer is extremely proactive in doing their own due diligence before they even pair up with a Las Vegas Realtor.

When they are ready though, almost 90% of buyers will use a Realtor to buy a home here in Nevada and nationwide. First time and repeat buyers alike will work with Realtors to help facilitate the sale of a property after doing their homework online. Online multiple listing services nationwide are attracting more than 20 million users on average per month. Not only that, but traffic to these sites increased about 30 percent.

Finally, mobile devices are changing the way buyers search for their homes in Las Vegas. Mobile real estate searches are up 120% and right now about a quarter of real estate buyers search with a mobile device. Google also found that roughly half of the people used their phone to find the location of a property or request more information about from the Realtor.