A new survey by the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.) provides some interesting new insights into the value of Internet marketing by Realtors to reach buyers and sellers.

The "2002 Market Pulse: Survey of California Home Sellers" showed the home sellers relied far less on the Internet than buyers do. Only nine percent of home sellers said they used the Internet as a significant part of the home selling process. By contrast, the C.A.R.'s The "2002 Internet Versus Traditional Buyer Study," released in February 2002, found that 41 percent of homebuyers used the Internet in the home buying process.

Thirty-three percent of sellers used agents because of a previous transaction, while 32 percent found an agent through brochures, flyers, or mailers sent to their homes. Others (17 percent) found their agents through yard signs, and other media was cited by 18 percent of respondents.

This could partially be related to experience and age; 79 percent of survey respondents had sold a home at least once before, while 21 percent were selling a home for the first time. The survey also noted that the average home seller is 44 years of age, slightly older than the 41-year age average for online home buyers.

Most home sellers were high wage earners. Sixty-four percent earned $100,000 or more, and of that only 15.5 percent earned a salary of $150,000 or over. The median home price for experienced sellers was $433,000 while first-time sellers raked in $325,000.

By contrast, 66 percent of Internet buyers (median age 37 years) earned an annual salary of $150,000 or more (compared to 39 percent of traditional buyers,) and bought a median priced home of $452,000, while traditional buyers were 43 years of age and purchased a median priced home of $310,000.

In addition, 79 percent of Internet homebuyers chose their agents online and 88 percent of them communicated with their agents via e-mail. Most traditional buyers found their agents through brochures, flyers, and mailers (44 percent) and referrals (19 percent.)

Clearly, the demographic agents need to target to purchase the larger, more expensive homes owned by experienced sellers is the Internet buyer who is younger, makes more money, and buys more expensive homes than traditional buyers. Using traditional marketing means such as signage and mailers may be more effective to capture sellers, but the listing agent must then employ Internet-savvy solutions to turn around and market the same home to the appropriate buyers, who clearly prefer the Internet to other means of finding and working with an agent.