The Best Websites to Use When You're Looking for Houses on the Internet.
So, it's time to buy a house. And you're excited. And rightfully so. Buying a house can be a fun and exciting adventure. If you're like most people today, you will begin your search for that next home online. And you will probably begin that search by visiting either Realtor.com, Zillow.com or Trulia.com.
Realtor.com used to be the number one website people would use to search for homes. It may, in fact, still be the number one website people use. But it isn't where I send clients...at least not first. Here's why. Realtor.com is a secondary source of information. What that means is that they get their data fed to them from MLS agencies across the country. The information is uploaded daily. That means that it is pretty accurate. But it isn't as accurate as your local MLS website. Also, Realtor.com only allows a default number of pictures to be uploaded under their basic setup.
Zillow and Trulia are the two other websites I mentioned. I know lots of people who use those sites also. My biggest beef with Zillow is their Zestimates. I cannot tell you how much time I spend correcting people's mistaken understanding of a home's value because of what they saw on Zillow. Trulia and Zillow are both good sites with lots of pictures. You can post questions on Trulia that agents will answer. Zillow and Trulia are like Realtor.com in that the data is fed out to them from MLSsystems. Time after time I have clients ask to see a house that actually sold long ago. Often they will have found it online on one of these websites. It may be an old listing or it may be that the data was never updated. I'm not entirely sure what is going on. All I know is that clients who use Zillow and/or Trulia often bring me lots of outdated information.
So how do you find good, real time, relevant data? It's easy! Just ask your Realtor for the link to the MLS website in your area. Many MLS systems now have a public side where you can search for homes. For example, here in the Greater Tulsa area, our MLS website is www.TulsaRealtors.com. This is the very same website I use when I log in to do research or upload new listings. My clients can do free searches of all the data without registering. They can search by city, school district, price range and other criteria. And, of course, the data there is instant. It goes live as it is put in by any office or Realtor in the area. There is no waiting for an overnight upload on your local MLS website like you have to do at Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia or many other websites.
Another great resource can be the Real Estate company website. My company, McGraw Realtors, has a great search feature. Our company website (www.Mcgraw.com) is what they call IDX linked. What this means is that all the information from our MLS is available to be seen on the company website. That means you can see the listings from the other companies!
Let me give you one last solution. I like this one better than any of the others. This is when you have your Realtor set you up on an automatic email of listings from the MLS that fit your search criteria. For example, if you want to see houses in my town that are priced between $150-$199K, I can set that up for you. There is no obligation and each day, you will get an email with houses from our MLS only in that search criteria. My clients love this because they can open the email at their convenience. Further, they don't have to plow through hundreds of listings just to find what they are specifically looking for.
So when you're off to shop for your next home, remember to use the websites that give you the most accurate, up to date data. And remember to look for real price values. And remember this too. The data is easily accessible! Just call your local Realtor and he or she will take good care of you!
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