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"Home Sweet Home"
August 12, 2000
Susan Shepley
Are you in the market for a new home, cottage or farm? Perform a simple search on the Internet for "real estate" and you will be faced with hundreds of sites claiming to have your perfect home. If you can weed out the good sites from the bad, the Internet can be a great resource tool to help in your property search. You can take a virtual tour of a perspective home, find out about mortgage and crediting options, search by your own criteria anywhere in the world, or view million dollar celebrity homes!
The best place to start when viewing real estate on the web is at the homepages of well-known real estate companies. They will often have well designed sites with lots of information. Century21's site (http://www.century21.ca) offers a searchable database of homes as well as virtual tours. There is also a neighbourhood researcher where you can learn about your future community's schools, attractions, safety and local government. The Remax site (http://www.remax.com) has a series of articles on buying and improving your new home, a service that helps you find your perfect neighbourhood by entering your own preferences, and a link to it's world office. Coldwell Banker (http://www.coldwellbanker.ca) has a website where you can take a video tour of a home or participate in an online house auction.
For information and resources on selling your home, check out http://www.move.com. Though the real estate listings are American, this site has lots of information on issues such as organizing your move, turning your new house into a home, construction tips, and buying vs. renting. It also has a message board for you to discuss these issues with others.
If you are not buying, selling, or moving into a new house, you can still look at the homes advertised on the net or take a virtual walk through the homes of the rich and famous. Take a look at Whoopi Goldberg's country estate on http://www.premierpropertiesonly.com, or search through the hundreds of mansions, condominiums, and ocean front properties across North America at http://www.uniquehomes.com. If European castles and chalets are more your taste, have a look at http://www.luxuryrealestateonline.com, where you can also view the multi-million dollar featured property of the month.
Whether your real estate ambitions are fun or serious, there is something on the web for you!
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