This is the third part in the epic trilogy of the story of an MLS from long ago in a galaxy far, far away.
What is the Omaha MLS? Part one
What is the Omaha MLS? Part two
What information about a home goes into the MLS? Everything. The basics include of course the address (duh), style of home; number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and garages; amount of finished square footage, and room dimensions. Finer details include the type of floor coverings in each room, how high are the ceilings, what type of heating fuel is used, are there association fees, etc.
Also included are marketing remarks. This is where the agent describes the home and tries to ‘sell' its features. Our MLS allows for 500 characters, which is not much. I can barely begin to describe a home in 500 characters (that includes spaces). Surprisingly though some agents do it - "Great home. Must see. 3 beds, 2 baths and an FP in the LL FR." Yep, some agents can sum up a house in only 60 characters and not really tell you anything about it. By the way an "FP in the LL FR" is a fireplace in the lower level family room. The same "brilliant" agents that can paint a picture of a home with only one sentence will often include this cryptic abbreviated garble; I'm guessing they do it to save themselves 3 seconds typing on the keyboard.
Pictures are also a big part of a property's listing. In Omaha we can upload up to 10 photos. I have a tough time deciding which ones to use as I routinely take about 50 photos of a house. On the other hand many agents just upload one single solitary lone photo of the front of the house with the car in the driveway and the trash by the curb. I guess that is not as bad as some of the interior photos I have seen agent use. Pictures have included the family pet, a baby sitting in the middle of the living room floor, the tv is on, the seller is in the background, or the infamous picture of the bathroom where you can see the agent taking the picture in the reflection of the mirror.
For agents that are tech savvy, there is the ability to upload a virtual tour which gives viewers panoramic views of the house's interior. Note the word "panoramic." This is the key to a good virtual tour. A virtual tour should not consist of the same handful of still photos that are already on the listing - yes, some agents do that.
I think that sums it up. You now understand how powerful the MLS is, and as Peter Parker's (aka Spiderman's) uncle Ben told him, "With great power comes great responsibility." As you have probably noticed, I think many agents are not being responsible in their use of such a valuable tool. Any questions? No, all righty then.
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