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FAQ#8 - Where should I search on-line for homes?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with New Paradigm Partners LLC EB #1326335

As we embark on the process of finding you a new home - the one that is the best possible fit for you and your family - we're pleased that you are going to help us identify homes to look at. After all, this is going to be your new home - it's only natural that you do everything you can to make sure it's the right one. Your input into the search criteria we'll be using to identify potential properties, and your feedback once we've had a chance to take a look, will be critical to the ultimate success of the process.

And while we welcome your help in finding homes, we'd also like to help you avoid wasting a lot of your time and energy. So we'd like you to understand how the properties you're seeing on-line got there, and we have a few tools that can help make your search more productive.

Home SearchAlmost every home listed with a real estate company in our market is placed on our Multiple Listing Service, as a cooperative effort between all of the area's real estate companies to share information and provide wide market exposure. And they're not only shared locally - they're shared everywhere, so homes here can be searched from pretty much anywhere there's on-line access.

There are a lot of popular national real estate websites that enable you to search for homes - sites like Zillow, Trulia, Yahoo and Realtor.com, along with the big national real estate company websites. They're pretty easy to use and allow you to search by detailed criteria such as price, size, number of bedrooms, square footage, age, etc. They provide a lot of information, along with photos, virtual tours, and maps. But once you have started your search in earnest, they're really not the best tool to use.

The home information at just about any site you may find on-line is derivative - it all comes from one basic source, your local MLS. And because the hundreds of MLS systems across the country all work a bit differently, in the technical aspects of how they handle data, any website that aggregates all of this data will run into some difficulties. The most common is that homes that are under contract, or even sold, still appear as being available. But there are other inconsistencies and inaccuracies that may occur as well.

We think the best place for you to stay current with our real estate market - to see, in detail, what is actually available - is the source itself, our MLS. And while you're not a member Realtor, and can't log in directly, we do have two tools that will give you access to the same good information we're working with.

The first is WWW.Coloproperty.com. This is the public mirror site for our MLS, and it has all of the homes currently available for sale - the exact same ones that appear in the MLS - along with all of their relevant information, pictures and virtual tours. It works just like the big national sites, but does a better job of staying current, and it covers all of Northern Colorado, from Boulder to Wyoming and from Estes Park to Kansas.

But we've got something even better - it's called MySite. Our MLS will let us set up a customized, on-going search for you, based on your criteria. As new listings hit the market, they will be automatically posted, along with all of their information, to a website we'll set up especially for you, and you'll get an e-mail notifying you that there are new homes to check out. On your website, you'll be able to examine them in detail, discard those of no interest, and save and track the ones that seem to have some potential. Your favorites folder will be where you'll keep the homes we're going to look at the next time we go out. We've had great results using MySite, and our clients have found it to be extremely helpful.

So don't hesitate to fire up that laptop and start searching for your next home. And let us know when you want to go kick some tires - we'll be ready when you are.

Posted by
Mary & Dick

Mary & Dick Greenberg
New Paradigm Partners LLC
2601 S. Lemay Ave. #41
Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-689-4663
www.maryanddick.com

 

Data Source: IRES MLS

Comments (10)

Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Good morning Dick -- this is truly one of those most frequently asked questions from buyers -- your response --- perfect.   The problem with our multiple listing service that while a property is in the back-up status(under contract yet all contingencies are not removed) it still "looks" active and if a listing agent does not move it to pending status can remain that way until closing.   Of course, that's why buyers/sellers who need answers in the Fort Collins Colorado area, Dick and Mary Greenberg are your sources for all things real estate.   

Jun 02, 2012 12:05 AM
Edward & Celia Maddox
The Celtic Connection Realty - Queen Creek, AZ
EXPERIENCE & INTEGRITY - WE TAKE THE HIGH ROAD

You cann't get the property info without a realtor.  Web site info can be misleading.

Jun 02, 2012 01:22 AM
Donna Foerster
HomeSmart Realty Group - Parker, CO
Metro Denver Real Estate Assistant

I learned something new today!  Love it when that happens.  I was not familiar with your public MLS website.  I can't wait to explore!

Jun 02, 2012 01:55 AM
Belinda Spillman
Aspen Lane Real Estate Colorful Colorado - Aurora, CO
Colorado Living!

Dick,  Online is all the rage these days.  I put all my listings on realbird and trulia as well.  The more exposure - the better.

Jun 02, 2012 03:01 AM
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

Good afternoon Dick, Very nice blog on an important topic. i get many inquiries from buyers who see homes on some sites that are not updated daily and seemingly every home is under contract or already closed. Where the buyer looks does matter, Have a great Saturday

Jun 02, 2012 03:12 AM
Bill Gillhespy
16 Sunview Blvd - Fort Myers Beach, FL
Fort Myers Beach Realtor, Fort Myers Beach Agent - Homes & Condos

Hi Dick,  Well said.Customers love the low key approach and convenience of looking when they get some extra time.

Jun 02, 2012 03:45 AM
Janis Borgueta
Newburgh, NY
Retired RE Salesperson

Great info for clients.. they think that what they see on the internet is all accurate since Trulia and Zillow are so big they trust that the info is correct.. NOT... Realtors need to be the ones providing this info and let buyers and sellers know what it all means to them

Jun 02, 2012 05:03 AM
David Shamansky
US Mortgages - David Shamansky - Highlands Ranch, CO
Creative, Aggressive & 560 FICO - OK, Colorado Mtg

Exposure, exposure, exposure. Just like location location location with olne twist. Location you cant change for property but exposure the more locations the better

Jun 02, 2012 05:52 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Dick, great job at explaining the different sites. A lot of the national websites just don't keep up with what's really going on.

Jun 02, 2012 06:08 AM
Cathy Criado
Criado Realty - San Antonio, TX
Making Real Estate Profitable

Hey Dick, great blog! I checked out one of the links, would love to see other backlinks to your sites specifically. I know, it takes time.

Have a super Sunday!


Sincerely,

Cathy Bureau
♥X☺X☺X☺♥

Jun 02, 2012 11:02 PM