Buying a House in Rhode Island is Easy with Craigslist

Most Americans know that Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union in terms of landmass. Fewer people know, however, that Rhode Island holds a few other other distinctions. For instance, it was the first colony to declare independence from England and it is the state with the longest name, as its official title is the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Trivia aside, however, Rhode Island is also a nice place to call home, especially for people who love the ocean. When shopping for a home in the area, one great resource to use is Craigslist.

Craigslist is a network of sites for communities throughout the United States and around the globe. The Craigslist network helps people connect to have garage sales, sublease an apartment, find a job, and even spark a new relationship. Initially, CL began as a resource for just the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995. By 2006, there was a Craigslist site representing each of 450 cities, U.S. states and Canadian provinces. With a few exceptions, advertising on Craigslist is free, and postings are placed in various sections, all organized into major categories for easy browsing and navigation.

Whether you are moving to Rhode Island and are in search of housing, or you already live there and just looking for change in scenery, the housing section of Craigslist RI (http://providence.craigslist.org) is an invaluable resource. The "real estate for sale" board is the place to start for those looking to buy a new home. While browsing the listings, you would do well to notice the search tool at the top of the page. This allows you to narrow down the listings based on price, keyword, or whether the listing includes images. This can be a big time saver, as it cuts down and having to manually weed through each listing title.

One of the most useful features about Craigslist is that it not only allows posters to include pics in the listings, but will also provide a link to a map of the property's location based on the address. Simply click on the "google map" or "yahoo map" link near the bottom of a listing, and you can instantly see where the property is located within the state. This is especially useful if you know a few things about the geography of Rhode Island already and know certain locations you might want to be live near.

Rhode Island's location makes it a great place to live. After all, it is close to two of the largest major metropolitan areas in the country, and no where in the state is more than a half hour drive from the ocean. If you are a prospective home buyer in Rhode Island, Craigslist RI makes the process of acquiring your home just that much easier-- no poring over newspapers or real estate ads, just typing and clicking.