Home Search Websites

Home search websites (like Zillow) have changed the real estate industry forever. We create annual reports on which real estate search websites are the best to use for a homebuyer and which ones are the most popular (important to know as a sellers agent). Using the best available home search sites can help buyers make better and more informed choices during their home purchase, and knowing which websites are impacting buyers help our top sellers agents know where to focus additional efforts and promotions, so our client’s homes sell faster and for more.

If you’re thinking of selling your home in the next twelve months, Stephen would love to tour your home. Call today to set an appointment.

Stephen FitzMaurice, Realtor
4% Max. to Sell a Home
Cancel Anytime Policy
Licensed Since 2003
503-714-1111

If you’re considering buying a home in the next twelve months, Kami Price, buyers specialist would love to hear what you’re looking for. Call today to set an appointment.

Kami Price, Realtor
Represented Hundreds of Buyers
Licensed since 2004
503-773-0000

zillow bullying

Zillow to Boost Homes for Sale that use Zillow Products (demoting others)

June 2, 2023

Zillow is in charge of the American home selling experience. Major news from Zillow this week. For those who need a quick update, Zillow is the number one home search site in America by a large margin. There are data crunchers out there suggesting that Zillow has over 50% share of all home buyer searches in the country. We run a top 10 most visited home search website report every year. In the 2023 report we conducted, Zillow.com had grown its traffic substantially from 2022 with over 300 million visitors a month. No one else is even close. Second place went to Realtor.com with 124 million visitors in a month, a drop from 2022. So not only is Zillow #1,...


home search website

Top 10 Visited Real Estate Websites, 2023 Report

February 17, 2023

In the modern world, home sales are an online affair. Nearly every home in the country is sold as a result of online home search traffic, either by a home buyer on a public website like Zillow, or by a real estate agent searching their local online MLS system. I’ve been tracking these trends year by year (licensed since 2003). In our local area is has become important to list in multiple MLS systems with every home we sell, to reach the broadest number of connected agents. We also pay extra to feature our client’s homes on the top websites so they get more views, more tours, and then finally more and better offers. It is very important for me...


Top 5 Websites to Search for Homes For Sale in 2023

January 9, 2023

We’ve written about the benefits of Real Estate Technology and all the ways it shows up in the world of real estate today. From virtual staging to photography and 3D tours and more, improved home search technology is here to stay. Of course, another facet of this growing and ever-evolving industry is home search websites. With over 95% of people using online search tools for their home search journeys (and 41% making this their first step), according to the National Association of REALTORS®, it’s clear to see integral home search websites have become in the real estate industry. With this in mind, it’s important to know where to turn when your considering making one of the biggest financial decisions of...


top real estate websites list

Top 10 Real Estate Websites By Traffic, 2022 Report

March 9, 2022

As a top 1% real estate agent in the U.S. with over 2,000 sales in Oregon and Washington, knowing which real estate websites get the most traffic is a huge deal to me. We pay extra on the top real estate websites to feature our client’s homes, push them to the top, obtain more branding, ultimately get more views on their homes so they sell faster. Every year I put out a report on which real estate websites are getting the most visitors. It is fascinating to discover each years winners and losers. Let’s take a look together: Top 5 Real Estate Websites in 2022 Monthly Visitors Average Visit Duration 1. Zillow.com 255.5 Million 6:20 2. Realtor.com 136.7 Million 5:55...


A New, Dynamic Portland Real Estate Map

November 22, 2021

Ever feel like you’re searching for a needle in a haystack while sorting through real estate listings? You know what you want. You know what you don’t want. But how do you find exactly what you’re looking for with so many options and when the market shifts and changes daily, sometimes hourly? We have the answer: our new dynamic Portland real estate map. In this article, we’ll show you what it does and what you can expect from it. But before we get to that, let’s first understand how VestorFilter™ has helped us create this amazing new and easy-to-use Portland real estate map. Here’s the most exciting part of the real estate map: Icons change size based on actual sq....


zillow home description missing

What I Love About This Home – Zillow Section Removed

June 9, 2021

My real estate team in Oregon and Washington sells a lot of homes, a few hundred each year. We do everything we can to give our client’s homes an edge online. For us that means two things, first, we pay extra to top real estate portals (like Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, etc.) for higher positioning. Second, we check all the boxes and do whatever is necessary to fill out the listing so it looks fantastic and carries with it all of the important home details. That’s why we were shocked when the Zillow editable description section, “What I Love About This Home,” suddenly disappeared on all our client’s listings. MLS descriptions are limited. Zillow’s “What I Love About This Home” was...


real estate website traffic

Top 10 Real Estate Websites by Traffic – 2021

February 12, 2021

A top real estate agent will know the trends, which real estate websites have the most home buyers on them, and how to best promote their clients’ homes on those same sites so their homes get more attention, sell faster, and for more money. So every year I put out a report looking at the winners and loosers, which real estate websites are gaining in traffic and which are dropping. As a top 1% sellers agent in the United States, serving Oregon and Washington, I pay extra to the top sites on behalf of my clients so their homes sell faster and for more (I already said that, but honestly most don’t understand huge impact it has), and so, of...


best home search websites

#1 Home Search Website for 2022 – 5 Reasons Why

November 27, 2020

We are not arguing this home search website is #1 because it is the prettiest site to search homes for sale. We believe this website is number one because it is the smartest and most effective way to find the home you want and get the best deal while you’re at it. Most home search websites are prettier or easier to use versions of each other – this one is outright unique.  1. Patent-pending Revolutionary Map Search Icons change color based on property type (condo, multi-family, land for sale, commercial, detached homes).Icons change size based on the properties sq. ft., or for land for sale, the acreage size.Icons change shade based on price, the darker the shade the more expensive...


top real estate websites by traffic

Top 10 Real Estate Websites by Traffic – 2020 Update

February 14, 2020

Real estate websites have a huge impact on the housing industry. Nearly every American spends time on one real estate website or another, looking for homes for sale, researching home prices, and staying in touch with the real estate market. NAR, the National Association of Realtors, reports that 95% of home buyers will search for their next home online. This report specifically focuses on websites buyers are using to search for homes. We pay extra on the top real estate websites. It is obvious where home buyers are, and we watch the numbers closely. Because most home sells are due to internet marketing, we track where the buyers are engaging online and pay extra money direct to real estate websites...


top real estate website by traffic

Top 10 Real Estate Websites by Traffic – 2019 Update

April 29, 2019

If you read a real estate traffic article that still lists Yahoo Homes on it – you know that article is out of date by many, many years! (I’m looking at you Ebizmba.) Yahoo Homes is completely gone and has been for a long time. It is hard to get accurate data on the most trafficked real estate websites, but we’ve found it. The top real estate websites have incredible power to sell homes. According to the National Association of Realtors 95% of home buyers will use the internet to find their next home. Very few homes are sold because of open houses, print ads, yard signs, or any other marketing medium. This is why as the number one home...