Potential customers therefore have no means of assessing the reliability of the information provided, either about their own property, or about those they are looking to buy. Furthermore, a recent Moving Intentions survey shows that homeowners don't feel that the companies providing them with online services are currently up to scratch. Better deals such as cheaper mortgages. So estate agents appear to still be getting the same old money for the same old rope, possibly sharing a little of the money and rope with the new breed of internet property portals. Another fact is that few sites have property that is exclusively theirs.
Many sites use the same property databases dressed up in a different outfit.
But the quality of detail and presentation can vary wildly. Many offer little more than an address and price while others provide full property schedules, photos and even virtual tours of a home. However, virtual tours aren't free and many sellers are unwilling to incur the extra cost, especially those trying to cut costs by avoiding using an agent. The photos and tours also take what seems to be an eternity to download and with the Internet supposedly all about saving time and money it seems there maybe still some way to go before we really can view homes from home. Many home movers move within the same area as they already reside and know exactly where they want to live, right down to the road and type of property.