The following few web sites may help those looking to buy, sell or rent and will certainly get you started in your search for the ideal property. Check out the Real Estate Institute of Queensland for information and advice, and Real Estate.com.au or Home Hunter to search for a property. Other avenues to try are the White Pages and Yellow Pages. Searching these two directories will enable you to look up individual real estate agents and link to their sites where you can search their listings.

Also increasingly popular is the 'for sale by owner' option, where property owners can list their properties on various web sites without the use of a real estate agent. There are a few web sites available that allow owners to list their property for free, although you may be required to register for free before placing your ad. However, be aware that you may only be able to list a text ad without accompanying pictures, for free. If you wish to include pictures of your property, there may be a fee incurred, although some sites will allow you to add pictures at no cost. For sale by owner sites include Owner.com.au, AdPost.com Classifieds, and Free-Ads.com.au.

It is strongly advisable that if you wish to use the for sale by owner option, and also the Real Estate Agent option, you thoroughly check the sites available before you submit your ad. Read all the information available on the site, including how to use the site, any policies (eg, Terms of Use, Privacy), and about the company or the owners/creators of the site. Make sure it is clearly stated what you get for free, what you might have to pay for, and how long your ad will run. Also look for contact details so you are able to get in touch with someone if something goes wrong. Don't just look for and accept an email address or mobile phone number as sufficient contact detail. You really need to be able to see a fixed street address and fixed phone number as better assurance against a 'shonky' dealer or web site.

Don't forget that if you are looking to get into the real estate market, the Library also holds a number of books on buying and selling property, and other aspects of real estate. It would be wise to have a look at these also. To name a few in our collection: The Penguin Australia Home Buyer's Guide, Myf Porter's Guide to Selling Property, Confessions of a Real Estate Agent, Buying and Selling Property in a Nutshell. All are located around the Dewey numbers 332.6 and 333.33.