The document summarizes key findings from the 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. It found that 81% of buyers and sellers used a real estate agent, 41% of buyers were first-time home buyers, and the most important trait sought in an agent was trust. The internet has also become a primary tool for home searches, with 87% of buyers using it in 2008, up dramatically from just 2% in 1995.

1. Leading Consumer Research On Today’s Home Buyers and Sellers

2. 81% of buyers and sellers used a REALTOR ® 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

3. 41% of buyers were first-time home buyers 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

4. The typical first-time buyer was 30 yrs old while the typical repeat buyer was 47 yrs old 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

5. 21% bought new homes, down from 23% 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

6. 80% said the commute was very important when considering a home 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

7. 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers What do buyers and sellers want from real estate agents? 48% find the right house other 3% Help financing 3% Determining how much to afford 3% Help buyer negotiate terms of sale 13% Help with paperwork 9% Determining what comps are selling for 7% Help with the price negotiations 14%

8. The number one trait people look for in a real estate agent? 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers One they can trust

9. 81% of sellers favor a full service real estate brokerage 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

10. 81% of buyers purchased a home using a real estate agent. 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers That’s up 54% from last year!

11. 43% of buyers found their agent through a friend or family member 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

12. 70% of buyers would definitely use their real estate agent again or recommend them to others 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

13. 85% of sellers would definitely use their real estate agent again or recommend them to others 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

14. 93% of home buyers financed their home purchase 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

15. Nearly half of home buyers reported they have cut back on luxury items, entertainment and clothing to qualify for a mortgage 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

16. One quarter of first-time home buyers reported that the mortgage approval process was more difficult than expected 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

17. One fifth of home sellers traded down to a smaller and less expensive home 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

18. Over half of home sellers traded up to a larger and higher priced home 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

19. More than 92% of home buyers under 44 used the internet to search for a home in 2008 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

20. 8 out of 10 buyers 45-64 years old used the internet to search for homes 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

21. In 1995, 2% of all home buyers used the internet to search for a home 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

22. By 2008, 87% of all home buyers used the internet to search for a home 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

23. 3 out of 4 home buyers drove by or viewed a home they saw online 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

24. 81% of buyers said the internet was a very useful tool to search for a home 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

25. Buyers cited the internet and real estate agents equally as the most useful tools when looking for a home 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

26. Three times as many buyers found their home online in 2008 than they did in 2003 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

27. In fact, more buyers find their new home through the internet 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

28. than 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers newspaper home books direct connection with seller and yard signs combined

29. Over 78% of all homes use broadband 2008 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

30. There are hundreds of millions of queries on Google every day SearchEngineWatch

31. The first sms text was sent in 1992 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_messaging

32. Today the amount of text messaging exceeds the population of the planet every day http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/06/did-you-know-20.html

33. The number of internet devices in 1984 1000 http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com

34. The number of internet devices in 2008 over 1,000,000,000 http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com

35. Change is good

36. Prudential Texas Properties Is leading the way