Ipsos-Reid: Canadian Homebuyers Go Online

According to Ipsos-Reid, 84% of Canadians who plan to buy a house within the next two years have gone online for real estate research. Ipsos surveyed 1,000 Canadian adults over the phone and 1,000 Canadian adult Internet users online in June 2003. The research firm found that while many Canadians who have already bought a home, or who plan to buy a home, appreciate the advantages of conducting real estate research online -- being able to view homes and floor plans without leaving your home, ease of comparison shopping, not having to deal with an agent -- some still see disadvantages to looking for a home online. For example, 26% of those who bought a house in the past two years say they found limited or out-of-date information online, while 19% of those who plan to buy within the coming years say it is not possible to see enough details of the house online.