A big advantage of online discount brokerage firms is that buyers can now obtain rebates up to 1.5% of purchase price of their home. Traditional Realtors generally do not offer rebates to buyers. For sellers, discount brokerage firms offer to list homes for up to 4.5% vs. traditional 6% commission. With average home price in San Diego County now over $400,000, such discounts are worth considering. The 1.5% savings amounts to $6,000 for a $400,000 home and $9,000 for a $600,000 home.

Another San Diego-based real estate site provides an opportunity for "FSBO" (For Sale by Owner) sellers to list their property on MLS. www.EfreeMLS.com will list any property on MLS for a flat fee of $299 vs. 3%, which is one-half of traditional Realtor fee. EfreeMLS rebates $299 to seller if they then buy a property through their service. For homeowners not looking to buy or sell, but who just want a good reading on value of their home, HouseRebate.com site is an excellent resource for sales comps: just enter your Zip code and last 100 sales for that Zip appear.

Online real estate portals also offer lots of educational links for homebuyers, including information on community schools, a glossary of real estate terminology in layman's terms, and tips on preparing your home for sale. Many have links to mortgage lenders, moving companies, and furniture stores.

And, armed with this information, you can walk into a brick-and-mortar real estate firm and ask about discounts, as well. Coldwell Banker is even getting into discount brokerage business with Blue Edge Realty. Currently company is testing model on East Coast and it is not currently available in San Diego County.

They should be STABLE. Be cautious If they have been in business for less than three years. And be VERY cautious if they are a pre launch.

AS AN ADDED BONUS.... wouldn't it be great to extend all these discounts and offers outside online mall? Yes, such a possibility does exist! By being a member of such an online mall, you should be able to enjoy vacations and wonderful discounts for products that are on AND off Internet!

A CHERRY ON TOP, PLEASE

Last but not least, they should offer you chance to SPREAD THE GOOD NEWS to your friends if you so desire. If they offer it and you want it they should make entry easy for you and support you with an experienced team every step of way. Far too many opportunities only want to help you AFTER you have done all work.

Remember, technology is supposed to make life easier. Reject any shopping club that is simply a computerized version of your local paper. Find one that is free to you and offers you serious discounts on a wide variety of brand named products run by a stable company with an easy to use site. When you do, you will have found a winner and will laugh all way to bank.

Picking a great online shopping club (with lots of off-line benefits, too) allows you to save mounds of cash, pick up great quality items at bulk volume pricing, and easily congregate with your friends to save even more. Following above checklist will allow you to shop even smarter.

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt if they gave you a cherry on top!