Internet use blossoms in residential market.

In the not too distant past, we used to let our fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages. Now, our fingers do our walking through a keyboard and the Internet. This is true for many things and becoming increasingly prevalent for buyers, sellers and renters of apartments.

Over the past five years, residential real estate firms and buyers have been using the Internet, but its use has blossomed in the past year or two and today it's the smart, time--saving way to look for an apartment and gain knowledge of the real estate market. For buyers, who work with a broker, it speeds up their learning curve. It also helps them look at apartments they might be interested in quickly and without wasting travel time.

Today, just about every residential real estate firm has a website. Additionally, there are numerous sites that show apartments from a broad range of firms.

Using the Internet, buyers can get a quick overview of the market, see prices and quickly determine if an apartment meets their criteria. Most brokerage sites have photos, and many have virtual tours of the apartment with descriptions of both the unit's and the building's features.

One cautionary word, though. Sometimes apartments do not photograph well and a buyer might dismiss an apartment he or she would like in person. The rooms might look smaller than they are or not as bright.

How does someone start his or her search? One of the best ways is to go to the Sunday Real Estate section of The New York Times and look at the listings. Each listing will contain the name and usually the website of the broker representing the seller.

Many also include a web ID number that identifies the apartment to quickly access it on the broker's website. This information can also be accessed through the Times website, www.nytimes.com.

Approximately 90% of the listings in the New York Times are from brokers, so you can view just about any apartment on your computer.

For example, you find an attractive two-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side and the broker is Argo Residential. You can go to the easy-to-use Argo Residential website (www.argo.com). On the homepage you'll see a place to enter the web ID number on the lower right-hand corner. Type in the number and you'll go directly to the apartment listing. You'll find photos of the building and apartment, and usually a virtual tour of the unit, with information about the apartment and building, the name of the broker and contact number.

If an open house is scheduled, the date and time will be listed.

While at the website, you can also browse the firm's other listings. The Internet is also a valuable tool to bring you quickly up to speed on the market. Buyers can look at comparable apartments in various locations to learn current prices.

Sellers can use asking prices for comparable apartments as a guide for pricing their property. Initial pricing of apartments has become extremely important in recent years. Those priced too high often languish on the market for months.

Ultimately, buyers should not rely on the Internet to make final decisions. Instead, they should use the Internet as a valuable tool to educate themselves and to help them weed through the numerous offerings.

Then, working with their broker, buyers can look at the apartments that interest them. Like most things on the Internet, this new technology has tremendous benefits if used properly.