Online Tools Popular, But REALTOR® Is Key To Buyer Satisfaction, New Study Shows
While online tools remain popular among home buyers and sellers, the role of the REALTOR® remains one of the key factors of customer satisfaction, according to the new J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM.
J.D. Power's inaugural study measures customer satisfaction of home buyers and sellers with the nation's largest real estate firms, determined by examining three factors for the home-buying experience: agent; office space/presentation; and services. Four factors are considered for measuring the overall home-selling experience: agent; marketing services; office space/presentation; and services.
Vast numbers of home buyers and sellers rely on the Internet to initiate the buying or selling process, according to the study, with 68 percent of buyers saying that they used the Internet to conduct their searches, and 61 percent of sellers reporting that they used a Web site listing to market their home. Yet, the study also found that, despite the growth in popularity of home-buying and -selling resources on the Internet, real estate agents play a key role in determining overall customer satisfaction with real estate companies.
"Although the Internet provides home buyers and sellers with the ability to perform some essential tasks, such as listing a home for sale or researching a neighborhood in which to purchase a home, it still does not replace the importance of a good real estate agent," said Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and Associates.
Date Posted: 9/5/2008
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