Those who use the internet in their housing search see payoffs mainly in lower search costs and in getting a feel for the places they may live, according to the Pew Internet Project. Fully 58% say that information found online gave them a good introduction to their new community, and 57% said it reduced the number of houses or apartments they looked at. Overall, 76% of respondents say that online information helped them in one of these two key ways in structuring their real estate search. Additionally, 27% say that online information actually changed the neighborhood in which they were planning to live.