You have decided to buy a home in Los Angeles, are about to start your search, and are worried about the toll it is going to take on you. Worry not. There really is an easy way to do it.
The home search process has increasingly shifted to the internet and it certainly is not a bad way to look at homes when you are in the very early stages. It gives you an idea of the market – what is available and what you can get for your money. But once you become serious, it really can wear you down and waste a tremendous amount of your time.
You can go to ten different sites to search for homes and you are going to see the same listings on each one. When a Realtor® takes a listing they must enter it into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) within three days of the contract date. The MLS is available to real estate agents who are subscribed to that MLS which is the majority of agents. We cannot conduct business effectively if we are not. And when entering the property into the MLS the agent checks a box which allows the listings to be syndicated to sites like Zillow, Trulia, etc. Also, many agents have websites which include an IDX solution (Internet Data Exchange) which allows them to show all MLS listings on their site. It is effectively a direct feed from the MLS. The public is inundated with vast amounts of duplicate information from multiple sources.
So, when you jump from site to site to site looking for your new home you are effectively spinning your wheels. They are going to show the same listings. And with the syndicated feeds you may possibly be looking at homes that are already off the market since they do not update regularly. The most trusted source is the MLS which updates real time.
I receive many calls from buyers who see a listing online the source of which is my website, and believe it is my listing. If you look carefully you will see that the listing brokerage is disclosed. No, I am not necessarily the listing agent but the whole purpose of these IDX feeds is to allow buyers to find an agent who can help them with their home search.
Buyers, you only need one agent. We all have access to the same listings. Once you have done your preliminary research and get serious about moving forward finding an agent is going to make your life so much easier. You will provide us with your exact criteria and we will set up a search tailored as close to your needs as possible. You can choose to receive regular updates direct from the MLS as homes come on the market or allow us to narrow down those homes to the ones closest to your criteria. So find yourself an agent with whom you feel comfortable and sit back and let them do all the work.
This service is entirely free to you, will save you a tremendous amount of time effort and will help you find that home much more efficiently.
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