Every day,

more and more people are surfing the Internet and finding

the immense possibilities of this buying, shopping and

research tool.

From old

baseball scores to regional foods and specialty books,

the Internet has made the planet smaller by giving

everyone with a computer and modem access to products and

information that was previously a lot more difficult to

obtain.

One of the

more unusual uses of the Internet has proven to be

looking for a home from the comfort of your own house.

Instead of

going on numerous trips to different homes that may not

be right for you, the Internet is now allowing buyers to

virtually pick and tour a home before they talk to a real

estate agent.

Coldwell

Banker Fulton Realty owner/broker Jim Fulton explained

the Internet technology in the real estate business is

changing everyday and his company is trying to provide

the best service for his customers.

At his

company's Web site,

www.realtor.com/Atlanta/cbfultonrealty, customers are

greeted with a colorful home page that shows today's

interest rates, along with a guide of the available

services.

The site

features pictures of all the company's listings and

offers detailed descriptions of the home.

Another

feature is the estimated mortgage payment, which helps

potential buyers know what price range house they can

afford.

While the

Internet helps the real estate agents by getting their

listings and names out to the public, Fulton explained it

also brings the real estate company more informed

customers.

"We're

having a lot of potential buyers coming into the office

who have already picked out their home," he said.

Some of the

homes displayed on the Internet also offer a virtual

tour, which shows a buyer the inside of the home, along

with views on all sides of the home.

"It's

just amazing. With just a click of the mouse, buyers can

get a perfect view of their possible new home,"

Fulton said.

The wealth

of information available also spawns more questions from

the potential buyer on the neighborhood and other

amenities, which helps keep the agents savvy, he added.

Since so

many customers are using the Internet for research,

Fulton said real estate agents are having to become more

and more technically savvy to conduct business in today's

techno-world.

"Agents

are now carrying lap tops and checking their e-mail and

answering questions while they're on the road checking

out a home or showing a home to a potential buyer,"

Fulton said.

Agents are

now becoming experts in desktop publishing and the

Internet, which helps them become better and more

informed agents, Fulton added.

While

Fulton's site is currently part of the larger realtor.com

domain, Fulton said his company is working on creating

its own home page and should have that site available

soon.

"Every

time we think we're ready to go with it, something more

advanced comes along, but I guess that's the nature of

this technology," he said.

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