The Internet, once labeled “the invention that would soon make real estate agents obsolete” has fast become a useful tool for both agents and buyers alike. And surfing the Web to find properties, realtors and mortgages is a "win" situation for all concerned. Today, realty sites attract two-thirds of all home shoppers who are Internet users with convenience, speed and no-hassle, broad selection. These are the top three reasons these folks use a mouse to search for a house. Twenty percent found properties they liked -- resulting in face-to-face meetings with realtors -- and 10 percent purchased property directly off the Web. But regardless of how they found it, buyers still had to do some old-fashioned leg work to check out the community and the neighbors (so they wouldn’t wind up with Jed, Granny, and Jethro living next door). And that's the On The House tip for today.