Stuart and other savvy agents here and around the country have come to that conclusion as well, and they and their agencies are building Web sites or buying prefabricated home pages in a hurry lest they be left behind as the technology revolution sweeps through the real-estate industry. Online listings can offer virtual home tours or slide shows, property locator maps, information on schools and neighborhood demographics. Many agents include a mortgage calculator, relocation tools and other aids on their pages, in addition to phone numbers and an e-mail address. It's not always easy surfing. Sites can be complex.
Pages can be slow to load.
Some may only show listings by real-estate agents who have paid a fee. Or an agent may want your name, address and e-mail address before letting you take a virtual tour. Still, the Internet is where wired home-hunters are heading. That's how they look for houses. For most of her listings, Stuart uses virtual tours, which allow computer users to click on, say, the kitchen and move around for a 360-degree view, with the ability to zoom in and out.