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What is the MLS?

By
Real Estate Agent with ERA Herman Group Real Estate

What is the Pikes Peak Multiple Listing Service (PPAR)?

Why is the MLS important?

Search for Homes in Colorado Springs

One of the many acronyms that most Realtors in Colorado Springs use is "MLS".    When you are in any industry, you get used to using the kara Ridgecommon acronyms typical in the industry and forget your clients, customers and the general public may not understand your jargon, your verbiage.

Let's start with the definition:  MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service.   The MLS is a shared computer database accessed by the majority of local Colorado Springs Realtors.  It contains detailed information on thousands of listed properties (including land, rentals, commercial property) for sale in the area.   In the Colorado Springs area, the Pikes Peak Multiple Listing Service (PPAR) provides access to the MLS; and in Denver there is another system called MetroList.

Think of the the MLS as a big property warehouse - sort of like a "Wal-Mart."   When a home is available for sale, it goes in the warehouse. When it is sold, it gets taken out of the warehouse.

It's all about knowing how to search

One of the biggest benefit of the MLS system is that an MLS subscriber (i.e. a Realtor who belong to the association) may search the system and retrieve information about all homes for sale by all participating brokers.   It contains hundreds of fields of information about the features of a property and a tech savy experienced Realtor will know how to search for any of these fields.     Do you want a master on the main floor, do you want a HUD foreclosure or a VA repo, do you want a home in a certain zip code, do you only want a two-story house, do you want a property on a cul-de-sac, do you want a finished basement; to you only want a certain price range, all of these are searchable fields in the Pikes Peak  MLS.

If you are selling your house, you want your home listed in the MLS, you want it included in "Wal-Mart".     The more exposure the better.  

If you are buying a house, make sure your Realtor knows how to utilize the MLS and how to create specialized searches to find your dream house.   An experiences agent can find the gem of a house you are looking for; as long as they know exactly how to search for the specialized features that are important to you.

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  www.ColoradoSpringsVintageHomes.com, www.KathyTorline.com

Comments (4)

Stephanie Reynolds
Integrity First Financial Group, Inc. - Santee, CA
East County San Diego Homes 619-838-4408

This is great information for the consumer. We get so wrapped up in our day to day we tend to forget that not everyone is "hip" to the REALTOR lingo!

Mar 04, 2010 01:21 PM
Stephanie Reynolds
Integrity First Financial Group, Inc. - Santee, CA
East County San Diego Homes 619-838-4408

This is great information for the consumer. We get so wrapped up in our day to day we tend to forget that not everyone is "hip" to the REALTOR lingo!

Mar 04, 2010 01:21 PM
Joetta Fort
The DiGiorgio Group - Arvada, CO
Independent Broker, Homes Denver to Boulder

What a good idea to get this info out there for people buying a home.

Mar 08, 2010 01:45 AM
Kathy Torline
ERA Herman Group Real Estate - Colorado Springs, CO
Colorado Springs Real Estate Blog 719-287-1049

Joetta:   Glad you enjoyed the info.  Feel free to reblog it.

Stephanie:  I always have to remind myself to talk in terms that the general public will understand.

Mar 08, 2010 04:50 AM