Two-thirds of Buyers Are 'Addicted' to Online Property Listings

Online property listings are the new crack. At least, that's what a new poll commissioned by Discover Home Loans suggests. According to the poll, 67 percent of home buyers report feeling addicted to looking at online listings, and 78 percent admit to looking at listings while at work.

The revelation of this fairly benign addiction was just one part of the poll that looked more broadly at consumers' use of online technology during the home buying process. Overall, 76 percent of buyers said technology made them smarter home buyers and 69 percent said it made them more confident.

Here are a few more interesting results from the poll:

• 72% of buyers explore a neighborhood using online maps or map apps
• 55% research a neighborhood using local websites
• Social media wasn't a big player in the buying process, with only 25% using it to "collect ideas" and just 29% soliciting opinions from friends and family on social networks
• The Internet played a large role in submitting paperwork, however. 71% of buyers submitted docs to their lenders online, while 68% used the Web to submit documents to their agents
• Online calculators are an important tool: 70% used them to estimate their monthly mortgage payments, 61% to discover how much home they could afford, and 52% to see if they were financially ready to buy a home
• A whopping 92% of buyers said technology saved them time, with 93% stating that technology allowed them to do things remotely that they would otherwise have to do in person