According to a 2015 trends report from the National Association of REALTORS, among ALL generations of home buyers, the first step in the home buying process is looking online for properties for sale!

For home builders and real estate companies, this fact leaves no doubt that your internet marketing efforts are crucial to the success of your business. In fact, we’ve put together a list of eye-opening statistics that will help you better understand how your internet marketing should align with today’s home buyer behaviors! Discover trends in online searches, what people are searching for, how often they rely on the internet for new home information, and much more here!

Online Searches

• The frequency of internet use in the home search process was directly related to age. Younger buyers are not only more likely to use the internet during their search, but they also use the internet more frequently during their home search process. Older buyers are more likely than younger buyers to be more occasional users during their home search. (NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report 2015)
• 90 percent of home buyers searched online at some point during their home buying process. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)
• 100% of home shoppers used the internet to research a specific home. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)
• For 42 percent of home buyers, the first step in the home-buying process was looking online for properties. (NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2013)
• 14 percent of home buyers first looked online for information about the home buying process. (NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2013)

• 78% of new home shoppers visit 3+ sites prior to taking action on a real estate site. (Google & Complete New Home Shopper Survey, 2012)

First-Time Home Buyers

• Gen Y has the largest share of first-time buyers at 68%. (NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report 2015)
• 47% of first-time home buyers used the Internet to search for a home. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Google Internal Data Q3 2012; Google Trends, Q3 2012)
• 52% of first-time buyers started their search online. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Google Internal Data Q3 2012; Google Trends, Q3 2012)
• 77% of first-time buyers drove by a home viewed online. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Google Internal Data Q3 2012; Google Trends, Q3 2012)

Real Estate

• 91% of Realtors use social media to some extent. (NAR 2013-2014 Realtor Technology Survey) 
• Real estate related searches on Google grew 253 percent over the past four years. (Google Internal Data, Q3 2012)

• 69% of home shoppers who take action on a real estate brand website begin their research with a local term i.e. “Houston homes for sale” on a search engine. (Google & Complete Home Shopper Study, 2012)
• 89% of home shoppers used the internet to search for a real estate agent. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)

• Twelve percent of home buyers used online recommendations when searching for an agent and it influenced half of those buyers. (NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2013)

Mobile Usage

• More than half of Gen Y and Gen X buyers used a mobile device during their home search. Among those who did, 31 percent of Gen Y and 26 percent of Gen X found the home they ultimately purchased via a mobile device. (NAR Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report 2015)
• Home builder related searches on tablets grew 362% year-over-year. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Google Internal Data, Q3 2012)
• 89% of new home shoppers use a mobile search engine at the onset and throughout their research. (Google & Complete Home Shopper Mobile Survey, 2012)
• 51% of new home shoppers read general home information on mobile devices. (Google & Complete New Home Shopper Mobile Survey, 2012)
• Mobile applications were used by 68% of new home shoppers at the onset and throughout their research. (Google & Compete Home Shopper Mobile Survey, 2012)

Video Usage

• 86% of home shoppers find out more information about a specific community through online videos. (Google & Complete Home Shopper Survey, 2011)
• 70% of home shoppers toured the inside of a home through online videos. (Google & Complete Home Shopper Survey, 2011)
• YouTube accounts for 51% of online video home research usage. (Google & Complete Home Shopper Survey, 2011)

Demographics

• At 35%, Millennials (buyers aged 18-35) are the largest share of home buyers, a share that has grown consistently over the last 4 years. (NAR 2016 Home Buying Trends: Millennials) 
• 73% of senior home buyers go online to search for a home. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Google Internal Data, Q3 2012)
• 39 % of senior home buyers began their research online. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Google Internal Data, Q3 2012)
• 30 % of senior home buyers first learned about the home they eventually purchase online. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Google Internal Data, Q3 2012)
• 31% of home shoppers who take action on a real estate site are aged 25-34, surpassing all other ages. (Google & Complete Home Shopper Study, 2011 Buy/ Sell Registrations in Q2 of each year)