Searching for a home can be one of the most difficult and intimidating experiences, not only because there’s so much on the market these days, but also because some realtors may be oblivious to their clients' lifestyle needs.

Fortunately we live in a big city where gay buyers and sellers are everywhere, so most seasoned realtors are sensitive to our needs. The options are endless when it comes to finding a gay or lesbian realtor in Chicago, but what about those of us who are relocating here or being relocated to somewhere else?

Real estate savvy brokers nationwide are creating gay-oriented referral sites that drive prospective clients to gay or gay-friendly realtors.

Simply typing "gay real estate" into any top search engine brings up numerous sites, some of which include www.rainbowrelo.com, www.homelounge.com, www.gayrealestateagents.com, www.lesbianhomes.com, www.gayagentdirectory.com, and tons more.

For years there have been websites appealing to Hispanics, African Americans, senior citizens, even sports-oriented buyers looking for golfing, tennis or yachting communities.

Online websites featuring gay and gay-friendly agents around the globe is an issue that has been somewhat overlooked in the real estate world for too long. Nonetheless, new sites that feature gay agents who understand the lifestyle seem to be cropping up all the time.

In the past, word-of-mouth referrals seemed to be the only outlet for gay buyers and sellers.

In a nutshell, gay buyers want an agent who is comfortable with they way they live and with the questions they may have. Non-gay or non-gay friendly agents might not have the answers about locations of gay-friendly churches, bars and/or other standard gay-lifestyle needs.

For those of you looking for gay-friendly agents, the Internet proves to be a magical tool. So don’t be afraid to ask where the "his and his closets" are anymore.