Buying or selling a house can be a complicated financial process, which is why you need to be careful not to buy and sell properties too quickly. Luckily, real estate coach Luther Ragsdale has layout into a few straightforward steps that can help you narrow your priorities and make an informed decision. Whether you are window shopping or a serious home buyer, there are multitudes of resources available nowadays. In case you are thinking about purchasing a home now or in the near future, make sure to educate yourself and gather as much information as possible about the market.

Years ago, at a time when Luther Ragsdale was starting a real estate business in Atlanta, the only way to locate homes for sale was through a help of a real estate agent, or to simply drive up and down the streets looking "for sale" signs. But in the last ten years, online real estate listing services have drastically changed the way Americans locate properties to sell.  The surge of online information has changed agent’s role, and today you can find properties using a variety of effective and efficient methods.

The internet is the most popular and fastest way to find properties for sale. Most real estate agencies list properties on their own websites and on real estate websites generators. On these sites, you can find a myriad of information such as price ranges, photographs and virtual tours, maps showing the property location, property descriptions, contact details and recent sales in the area. In fact, as Ragsdale explains, it is now possible to find sales price of the house next door, search for listings in a given school zone and take a virtual tour of a home you're interested in, all with a click of a mouse. If you want to be more thorough you could also consider a virtual tour of the neighborhood using different geographic websites. Of course, nowadays there are apps for that as well, that send you notifications and updates with the latest info.

You can also do it the old-fashioned way by checking the property section in any daily or local newspapers. Another way of finding properties that Ragsdale suggests is directly contacting estate agencies by telephone, email, or in person. Open houses are another great option. They are usually advertised online or in newspapers, but you may also arrange inspection time with the agent at your convenience.