Real Estate News

2018 Homebuyer Survey Contains Valuable Information for Agents and Sellers


Written By: Bob Hunt
Sunday, November 18, 2018

This is the 37th year that NAR has conducted an annual survey of those who have purchased and sold homes. The most recent version 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers became available in November of this year. The information is based on answers to a 129-question survey mailed to a random sample of 155,250 consumers who purchased a home between July 2017 and June 2018. Names and addresses were provided by Experian, a company that maintains an extensive database of recent homebuyers that is derived from county records. After accounting for undeliverable surveys, there was a 4.6 response rate.

In 2017, first-time homebuyers constituted 34 of the market. This year, 2018, the first-time buyer rate was 33. Geographically, the highest percentage of first-time buyers was in the northeast at 45; the lowest was in the west at 29. Over the years the historic norms for the country have been in the 40 range. As interest rates continue to crank up, it may be a while until we see such numbers again.

The most useful information for sellers and their agents is to be found in the section on the home search process. While the survey results are not significantly different from those of recent years, the trends continue. For example, this year 83 of buyers said that they used the internet frequently during the search process. In 2003 that number was only 42. This past year 57 of buyers said that they frequently used a mobile or tablet application. That is a newer and growing phenomenon three years ago, it was 41. 63 of buyers said that they frequently >

44 of buyers went to the internet as the first step in the home search process. 17 contacted a real estate agent first, and 6 began by driving through neighborhoods looking for homes for sale. How can driving around be an option? Half the homes purchased were within 15 miles of the buyersrsquo; previous residence. Interestingly, 7 of home buyers began the process by going to a bank or mortgage company.

Buyers use multiple sources of information in the process of looking for a home. Far and away the most used sources are on-line websites 93 and real estate agents 86. Mobile or tablet applications 73 have replaced yard signs as the third most used source of information. Still though, 46 of buyers indicate that yard signs are one of their sources of information. Only 13 of buyers indicate that they used newspaper ads as an information source. A mere 3 said that they garnered information from television.

While there are a lot of intriguing data about the sources of information used by prospective homebuyers, certainly the most >. This year the information source that was highest in that category 50 was the internet. Agents are second at 28. Note that this is not to say that buyers bought their home through the internet. The typical scenario would be that a consumer sees the home on the internet, and then contacts his or her agent. 89 of those who used the internet to search purchased their home through an agent.

The differences in a little more than a decade are fascinating. In 2001, 48 of buyers learned about their home through a real estate agent, and only 8 found their home on the internet. The times they have changed.

Some things, though, remain persistently the same ndash; or close to it. In 2001, a yard sign was the third most likely source of information leading to the home that was purchased 15. And this year? It is still the third leading source at 7, but this is now the sixth consecutive year in the survey history that it has been lower than double digits. Print media may not be dead, but it has shrunk to insignificance in this arena. In 2001, 7 of homebuyers found the home they ultimately purchased through a newspaper ad; in 2018, it was only 1. It has been that way for seven years now. As has been the case for the past ten years, fewer than 1 found their home through a home book or magazine.

The 2018 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers shows what works. It is a valuable resource.



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