How do buyers start their home search ?

The days of throwing an  ad in the local newspaper and waiting for the phone to ring to sell your house is long since passed. There are a plethora of options available know in this age of Web-2.0 or Real Estate 2.0. Number one is no surprise 87% use the Internet, 85% use an agent, 62% signage, 48% open houses, 47% use print. Print whether it is newspaper, magazines, or faxed fliers is the age of the dinosaur, and is soon to become extinct.Newspaper ad revenue fell almost $2 billion in the third quarter for a record 18.1% decline, according to new statistics from the Newspaper Association of America. What’s worse, newspapers’ online ad revenue fell for the second quarter in a row.
The historic drop resulted from a worsening economy that sharply exacerbated long-term challenges already confronting the newspaper industry, and it affected all kinds of newspaper ads. National ad sales fell 18.4%, classifieds sank 30.9%. We as humans would much rather watch someone fall off a skateboard than read about it. The percent of the population that interacts with book vs video games, movies, DVD’s, TV, computer, Iphone video,interactive pictures,  is a land-side of difference. Every year the percent of the population that are avid readers is dwindling.In 2009 less than 50% of the population will spend there time reading a book, magazine, newspaper, white pages, or your website/blog if it has no video/pictures and is not interactive!.WEB 2.0 made the old Stagnate days of List it and forget it obsolete. Much to the chagrin of the newspaper exec’s WEB 2.0 is note only more effective but far less costly. and is not confined to just a local market.
Real Estate professional whether agents or investors, are no longer going to rely the 3 P’s of past Real estate Marketing: Place a sign, Put in the MLS, and Pray. The 3 P’s have become extinct and have made way to the the 3 K’s Knowledge, Keys, and the Kingdom.
Anyone that is in the Real Estate arena whether seller, investor, or agent must have the KNOWLEDGE on how to create  a web presence, and that does not mean a broiler plate copy web site of their brokers site. Those looking to survive or just sell must have not only have the knowledge, but also the control of their WEB 2.0 Battalion. If terminology such as auto responders, blogrolls, Twitter, spiders, metatags, image hosting, RSS feeds, vloging, unique visits, social and viral marketing, leavers you scratching your head. You have two choose either hide in the bathroom or step into the classroom. If the following Websites are unfamiliar, you need have a high level of concern. Ubertor, Realbird, Truila, Zillow, Point2agent, Vflyer, Move.com, ActiveRain, Craiglist, and know how to post and subscribe to Real Estate Forums.
You can not learn to drive a car from a book, sooner or later you need to turn the KEY (and take ACTION) and see what happens. Learning all the WEB 2.0 applications and applying them are two different things. yeah flour, water, and eggs can make a cookie, however Mrs Fields probably does not just wing it. Can you physically make and upload to YouTube? can you broadcast a Pic? do you have accounts with Realestateshows 

? WellcomeMat? and TubeMogul? how frequently are you blogging? how often are your Autoresponders going out? Does this seem more than you want to under take will then what about a V.A., whats a V.A.? WEB 2.0 is far less costly, yet more intellectually demanding.

Know that the first two K’s have been conquered one must know the KINGDOM in which you are doing battle in. The keys to the Kingdom 

m are all digitized. Everything from Schools, crime, sexual predators, restaurants, bus schedules, etc.. is all online, and you must be able to produce it without having to be asked for it. Website such as Merchantcircle,  CitySearch, Cityguide, Local.com. can give your clients the keys to getting all the information  to the Kingdom, they want. Basically you have digitally cloned yourself, giving you the time to enjoy the spoils of the Kingdom.