Try The House Out Before You Buy? It May be Coming Thanks to AirBnB

As one of life's biggest investments, buying a new home involves many unknowns. Sure, someone may like a prospective home's kitchen, floor plan or humongous backyard, but buyers are also buying into the neighborhood as well. Are there noise issues? How are the neighbors? What about area amenities? It's hard to truly kick the tires of a home with so many area unknowns.

So what's a buyer to do? Turns out, Realtor.com and home-rental company AirBnB have a plan...

A real estate "test drive"

To ease the doubts associated with relocating, the Realtor.com and AirBnB partnership is offering a "try before you buy" feature for prospective homebuyers. The concept is simple. Find a home, then locate it on Realtor.com. Scroll down to the spot just above the map feature. There you'll find area AirBnB locations near the neighborhood of the home for sale. Nearby AirBnB locations are available on each home's listing page, allowing potential buyers the opportunity to select a property in the neighborhood they're looking to buy in and spend a few nights.

Performance and safety

As in a test drive, the little things buyers spot in a neighborhood now could be major annoyances later. By taking advantage of this unique opportunity, issues that may have been overlooked can be avoided, offering buyers the ultimate driving – err, home buying experience.

Zero to sixty in 5.1...

AirBnB offers a variety of accommodations in neighborhoods across the country. Birmingham, for example, turns up more than 60 listings from homes and lofts to apartments, ranging in price from $28 to $119 per night. It's a fast way to get a feel for a community.

To view the original article, visit the Properties Online blog.