Social networks, internet and Personal referrals….The test of time.

Information is hitting us at an astounding rate… Used to be radio, TV and newspapers ….then came the internet…now it’s social network like twitter and facebook or personal blogs…. Mortgage info and opinions are everywhere…It’s as simple as doing a Google or Bing search on your iPad or mobile phone..

But how reliable is the info you are getting and can you find what you really want online?  After all, we’re not buying a new TV or appliance…. this is a mortgage, a huge debt…

I did a search on ‘mortgage’ and got 3.5million possibilities.   I narrowed it down to ‘mortgage rates canada’ and still got 1.3million sites…how could anyone know which site is best for them?  Or credible?

I tried one more time…‘ best mortgage product for married couple buying their third home with one child in Ontario’… there, that’s quite specific.. only got 5,710 possibilities…

Many of the sites were small businesses but a lot were blogs, and that’s ok…I like blogs… Some of the sites are great.  But how many of these sites really know what they are talking about?   I was quite disappointed to see that many of these sites were being run by unqualified people with little or no practical experience in the Mortgage or Financial Services industry.  And this really troubles me.

So here are a few tips to finding a credible site or blog expert:

-is the writer or editor easily found and identifiable?

-how many years of experience does this person have in this industry?

-what makes that person an expert or an authority?

-how much practical time does this person have in the business? (are they all theory and no practical experience?)

-is the site or blog personally managed by the creator or editor?

-are there any sponsored links or banner ads on the site and if so, is there any possible conflict by having that sponsor?

-would that sponsor still allow for impartial writing or distribution of information? (careful, the answer isn’t always that easy)

THE TEST OF TIME…..In the end, I find that most of us still value the opinion of a trusted friend, a colleague or business associate or a family member.  These people’s opinions, within our circle of trust, still carry more weight than any internet site…  The internet is great for gathering info and opinions but be sure you know where that info is coming from and what the motives are behind that info…