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Short Take: Homestore.com to develop site for buying homes online

Homestore.com, the biggest online lister of homes for sale, said it's working with the National Association of Realtors to develop a way for consumers to buy homes over the Internet. Home buyers should be able to bid for houses online, get loans, do title searches, arrange home inspections and track information through personal accounts, Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Homestore.com said. Homestore.com users can already browse through pictures of homes and neighborhoods online, compare prices along streets, view crime reports and research local schools. Buyers should be able to do everything once the new site has been developed except sign the transfer papers, the company said. As electronic signatures gain acceptance, Homestore.com said it will add in the feature to make the entire home-buying process paperless.

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Homestore.com, the biggest online lister of homes for sale, said it's working with the National Association of Realtors to develop a way for consumers to buy homes over the Internet. Home buyers should be able to bid for houses online, get loans, do title searches, arrange home inspections and track information through personal accounts, Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Homestore.com said. Homestore.com users can already browse through pictures of homes and neighborhoods online, compare prices along streets, view crime reports and research local schools. Buyers should be able to do everything once the new site has been developed except sign the transfer papers, the company said. As electronic signatures gain acceptance, Homestore.com said it will add in the feature to make the entire home-buying process paperless.