Franklin TN Home Buyers Beware Not all MLS Data is Accurate

Yesterday, I was contacted by a very distraught home buyer. She is moving here from out-of-state and is looking for a Franklin TN home for sale zoned for Franklin High School. She had been looking on the internet at one specific neighborhood thinking it would be ideal for her family.

The information provided in the MLS lists the high school for that neighborhood as Franklin High. Unfortunately, that neighborhood is no longer zoned for Franklin High School. The buyer was very troubled. She didn't understand how the information in the MLS, that is provided by local real estate agents, could be wrong.

Unfortunately, real estate agents aren't infallible. We make mistakes. Some of us try to limit those mistakes but, none the less, they are made. At the bottom of every MLS listing are the following words:

Information believed to be accurate but not guaranteed. Buyers should independently verify all information prior to submitting any offer to purchase.

The MLS is warning buyers to make sure they verify all information prior to submitting an offer. There are a variety of ways to do that depending upon which information is important to you.

In the example I used above, the school selection was important. Fortunately, Williamson County Schools provides a school zoning query on their website. Just click the link I have provided and put in the address you want to check.

The result will look like this:

The information provided by the school zoning query will be the correct information. In this particular case, Williamson County Schools is the authority. Buyers should believe this information over what they see in the MLS listing.

As in the case above, you should always seek out the assistance of an authority on the issue. A real estate agent isn't usually the authority but he/she should be able to provide the name and phone number of one who is.

The most common mistakes shown in the MLS are school listings, city sewer/septic, city water/well and square footage. A buyer's agent should be able to provide you with the right authority to contact when there is a question regarding information provided in the MLS listing.

It's important to do a verification prior to writing an offer. If time doesn't permit you to do that, your agent can make your offer contingent upon verification of a specific item.

If you are in need of a Franklin TN buyer's agent, contact Tammie White at (615) 495-0752.