Back in a day, you had to get a real estate agent if you wanted to buy a property. With an explosion of online real estate, this is no longer the case. These sites contain all the comprehensive information real estate agent would know and often much more. You can use these sites to find out about the schools in the neighborhood, the weather or the property prices in recent years.

Here’s a list of real estate sites that have made a difference in the field:

Realty Times

RealtyTimes offers a variety of information to its visitors. It’s a news aggregator for those that are interested in real estate investments, but it can also be a place where you can find your new home. The site has a news segment –nicely produced short video clips about the industry. You can also find useful advice from both real estate agents and other users. The site has an intuitive interface and is easily searchable.

Knoxville Fine Homes

This site uses amazing imagery to attract their customers and it works. The site is simple, almost minimalistic, but gets the most out of the photos. The properties can be seen from any angle, including the aerial view, and if this isn’t enough - you can have a virtual 360 degrees tour. The site is also multilingual, which comes pretty handy sometimes.  There is a “featured properties” option through which you can find properties selected by the Knoxville real estate agents.

Encuentra24

Encuentra24 is a simple and elegant real estate site, mostly focused on the clean and beautiful images. You can also search for properties based on a variety of criteria: location, price, use (as in commercial, residential or farm) and square footage. It also offers properties that are still under construction as well as the ones you can rent. The interface used for posting your property for sale is also quite simple and very intuitive. Nevertheless, there is a support team available by phone. You can check out their clean design and excellent functionality on example of Costa Rica classifieds.

The Haverkate Group

The Haverkate group has modern design and it uses both videos and photos to showcase their properties. The greatest strength of this site is the use of content marketing. Their blog and photo descriptions are most engaging and search engine optimized. Their news and events section also creates a feeling of a community rather than a business page. Resources section is quite interesting as well – it is used to present selling properties as a way of living. 

Bronx Experts Realty

This site tries to sell more than just properties; it’s focused on promoting the community of Bronx. It highlights the attractions and sights near each property it sells, so most user start by exploring the interactive map of the neighborhood it offers. There is also a great blog and first hand testimonials from the satisfied users. Featured properties are always a good way to narrow down your option. Interface is very easy to use with a couple of call-to-action buttons (such as the one for saving a page or scheduling a visit to a property you’re interested in).

Sally Forster Jones

If there is one word to describe this site, it’s minimalistic. Simple white background, wide and beautiful picture of properties and easily navigable interface bellow is all that is needed. There is also a blog and YouTube channel with simple and short videos. Minimalistic approach can work or fail right away and in here it works.

Finding your dream home with these sites, may actually be an enjoyable experience.