Millennials are experts on using their phones to find answers to anything and everything. But anyone who has ever been stuck on a date with someone who looked like Paul Ryan when you were expecting Paul Rudd knows that the internet can also be deceiving.  

We millennials love our independence. More than any generation before us, we thirst for freedom and have many opportunities to grasp that freedom. Unfortunately for so many of us, that freedom lies somewhere outside the front door of our parents house where we’re staying temporarily to save money. But the time is now to leave those confines behind and grab the keys to our freedom, and to our own piece of the real estate market. 

Don’t Waste Money Renting 

Studies show that buying real estate is actually cheaper than renting in the long run. Think about all that cash we had in our bank accounts only to watch it disappear on the first of each month. If we bought our first apartment instead of renting it, we would own it by now. Heck we’d probably own the whole building! All those thousands of dollars we spent on rent could be coming back to us in rent from the new generation of freshmen.  

It may sound old fashioned to say that we should be investing our money instead of throwing it away, but we know that sometimes bringing back trends from the past is the best. We should be working towards owning our independence and finding a house that’s completely ours.  

Technology Isn’t Always Your Friend 

If you believe that it’s time to explore the option of becoming a homeowner, then you’re probably already reaching for your phone. But technology might not be your best bet in this case. Before you go typing out a Google search for an awesome house in an awesome neighborhood though, consider this; finding a home is like finding the love of your life. Sites like Zillow and Trulia are like the Tinder or Grinder of the real estate world, not the best option for finding something long-term. When we’re serious about finding someone, we consult our squad, and buying a house should be no different.

Here are five reasons why you should deal with an actual, reliable person (Realtor) rather than one of those sites: 

1. Experience and Expertise 

Anyone who has ever flooded their bathroom attempting to fix the toilet fully understands the importance of hiring an expert. A licensed realtor is an expert at finding people their perfect homes. They know all of the jargon, understand exactly what to look for in a property, and can save us hours of research on the important details of home buying. Basically, they become the best possible wingman we can imagine. They will do all of the legwork and schoomzing necessary to find us a dream home. There are hundreds of steps and mountains of paperwork that goes along with the house-buying process, and it can be just as overwhelming as trying to find a last minute date for a wedding. Instead of stressing about the whole complicated process, trust a realtor to take over. 

2. Connect and Conquer 

You know that one barista at Starbucks who always makes your drink perfectly and lets you use her employee discount? It would be fantastic if we had that kind of hook-up everywhere. That’s what our Realtor is for. They know the right people for every part of the home-buying process, they have the local market knowledge, and they can get us the inside scoop on homes before they’re even posted online, or negotiate a deal with a friend to help us get the best possible price. Lenders, title insurance company, etc. Plus, once we work with a licensed real estate agent, then we have a hookup in the housing market. That way we always know a guy who knows a guy who can help with anything.  

3. Save Money 

Buying a house is like investing in a delicious lunch at an upscale restaurant instead of spending all afternoon snacking on whatever salty bag of processed crumbs is lying in our office drawer. In a few hours, we will definitely feel the consequences of our decisions, for better or for worse. Investing in a house will save us money in the long run. It is also probably the largest purchase we’ll make in our lifetime. Having a Realtor on our side to negotiate and make sure that we get the best possible deal could save us thousands of dollars. Most of us wouldn’t randomly decide to invest in the stock market without consulting an investor, so it seems logical that we should consult a realtor when investing in a house.  

4. Investments and Growth 

Finding twenty dollars in our pocket that we didn’t know we had is by far one of the best feelings in the world. Investing money in real estate helps us plant dollar dollar bills to find in the future. Instead of paying a rental company thousands, we can be slowly buying something that will only be worth more down the road. That way, the next time we move, our monthly payments aren’t just lost in space, we can get it back plus some by selling or renting out the property.   

5. Ethics and Trustworthiness 

How many lies have we read on the internet this month? This week? Today? In the past hour? It’s hard to sort through the endless information thrown at us every day, especially with the countless advertisements from big name companies who spend millions on marketing half-truths and headlines. Working with a realtor who is trained and certified can give us the sense of trust and assurance that’s hard to find online.  We can ask them questions and not have to repeat ourselves because a robot did not process the information, and we can get personalized help and guidance while we search for our home.