The 2010s Changed How We Shop for Houses. What Will the 2020s Bring?

It’s the late 2000s. You’re ready to buy a house, so you show up wide-eyed at a realty firm ready to let them guide you to your new dream home. Fast forward to now, and the information is all in the palm of a buyer’s hand. The first step is just a quick search (read: hours scrolling) on a real estate listing site. But that overload of information has brought its own challenges to the buying process. And now the question is, will the next leap  be buying a house at the click of a button? And do buyers and sellers want that to happen?

If you were shopping for a home at the beginning of the 2010s, the experience most likely revolved around one person—the realtor.

The realtor is who you contacted to initiate the process. They informed you of current market conditions and gave you a sampling of what’s available on the local multiple listing service. They also likely referred you to a mortgage broker and title insurer.

But if you’re shopping for a home today, your relationship with the realtor is dramatically different. Instead of going to them first, you’ll browse listings on Zillow, Redfin, or any number of real estate web portals. The realtor you choose will likely have a formal relationship with one of those portals instead of with a standalone real estate brokerage firm, and that a realtor will walk you through the process as curated by the portal.

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