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Searching for a home online--the good, the bad and the ugly

By Holly Weatherwax

Real Estate Agent with Associate Broker, Momentum Realty

May 27, 2014 10:54 PM

I can't tell you how many times a buyer has called me and said, "I found this house I want to see. It is perfect' only to be told (by me) that it sold 13 months ago.

If you haven't noticed by now, a lot of what is on the internet is garbage. And that goes for listings, too. You see, what happens when we list a home is that it is sent out to many, many websites (depending on the broker's agreement). You may have heard that saying, 'what is posted on the internet, lives forever.' This is especially true for listings. The are often searchable by address, so when you type in the address, or a part of it, you get back results that often include old listings.

So what is a buyer to do? Find a Realtor who can help you navigate real, live listings via the multiple list service or who can provide a tool, such as Listingbook, that hits up against the MLS. Instead of wasting your time sifting through last year's listings and being frustrated and confused about the current market, make sure you have access to the latest data.

The only thing more frustrating than not finding the home you want is finding it--and being told it isn't available to you! Give yourself the advantage of working with a Realtor who is working for you.

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Holly Weatherwax

Associate Broker, Momentum Realty - Reston, VA

A Great Real Estate Experience

I agree with the fact that someone who is calling me on these homes is a strong prospect. Of course, they are almost always supplementing my efforts (and the tools that I supply them) with these more generalized searches. Some of the apps are very user friendly. I just find that the same people who embrace the technology usually end up very frustrated with the number of 'false positive,' listings that they find.

May 28, 2014 03:32 AM

Christine Smith

Buyers Brokers Only LLC - www.BuyersBrokersOnly.com - Canton, MA

Exclusive Buyer Agent & Attorney, Canton, MA

They do get very frustrated - and sometimes I find they think that I am not telling them the truth or that there's a secret list of listings that I am holding from them.

May 28, 2014 05:22 AM

Ann Zieve

Keller Williams Success Realty - Eden, UT

Unmatched Ownership Experience

Great point Holly. That's why we are here to help them out. Thanks for sharing Holly!

May 28, 2014 05:35 AM

Chris Griffith

Downing-Frye Realty, Bonita Springs, FL - Bonita Springs, FL

Bonita Springs Listing Specialist - Agent

I always joke ... at the end of my life when the visions pass before my eyes, I'm going to want back every stinking minute that I wasted searching for info on listings that buyers found on zillow and trulia.

May 28, 2014 05:55 AM

Joan Whitebook

BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH

Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

It is amazing how much misinformation is there in the internet. Folks think everything they read is true because it is in writing on the internet.

May 28, 2014 06:31 AM

Julie Granahan

Keller Williams Seattle Metro West - Seattle, WA

Myra Gouger, I love your response. :)

May 28, 2014 07:57 AM

Brian Olsen

Portland, Lake Oswego, West Linn & Dunthorpe Neighborhoods, Waterfront, Luxury & Floating Homes - Lake Oswego, OR

Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Group | Keller Williams

TRUE TRUE Holly!

I find all sorts of garbage on the internet and your BLOG is a good reminder to all of us to be a PRO and make sure our clients get the current listing information from us professionals. Thanks for the information, have a wonderful week.

May 28, 2014 09:39 AM

Elyse Berman, PA

LoKation Real Estate - Boca Raton, FL

Boca Raton FL (561) 716-7824

Well said Holly! I cannot tell you how many times I've had to explain expired, sold and under contract listings that are sitting on search engines and websites that have not been updated in years. It makes us all look bad when that happens.

May 28, 2014 11:30 AM

Inna Ivchenko

Barcode Properties - Encino, CA

Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

Sometimes a client want to...help a realtor by looking online for the house. So, they call you to check a property. I have the same result: it is already sold, pending, or just pre-foreclosure, or the auction. So, it does not really help...

May 28, 2014 04:46 PM

Gita Bantwal

RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA

REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

I hope buyers and prospective tenants will read this post. I got a call from a client the other day that people are driving up to her house though it is already rented. She is going to get a 'No trespassing sign." There is a long driveway and the house is not visible from the street.

May 28, 2014 08:30 PM

Sophia Lin

Intero Real Estate Services - Sunnyvale, CA

Sunnyvale CA Real Estate Specialist

Hi Holly, I run into that scenerio alot. I guess it's a good thing if that's what brings the buyer/seller to you and then we can turn it around in out favor :)

May 28, 2014 09:44 PM

Ed Silva, 203-206-0754

Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT

Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

I have a buyer currently that I have placed on a direct fed IDX but continues to call me on listings that are not on the market

May 28, 2014 10:12 PM

Nina Hollander, Broker

Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC

Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

No kiddng! How many of those calls have I gotten over the years? Too many to count. And I love the ones that tell me some pre-foreclosure home is on the market because Zillow says so. Not!

May 28, 2014 10:58 PM

Amanda Christiansen

Christiansen Group Realty (260)704-0843 - Fort Wayne, IN

Christiansen Group Realty

Fantastic advice here! The internet is often a confusing place for buyers to look online. Using an agent is definitely the way to go.

May 29, 2014 01:37 AM

Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED

RETIRED / State License is Inactive - Portland, OR

Why are they not with an agent to begin with is my question? There's a lot of buyers who don't see the need. That's the real shame.

May 29, 2014 02:32 AM

David Toaff

First Home Mortgage - Bethesda, MD

Unfortunately, a lot of clients seem to think they get things done without an agent. I just got an e-mail from one, asking me if they could handle things on their own..I always stress the importance of working with a good agent from the first conversation.

May 29, 2014 05:17 AM

Jeff Jensen

The Federal Savings Bank/Lending in 50 states - Greenwich, CT

So many consumers out there rely on what they see on the net to be accurate. Guess what?

May 29, 2014 07:39 AM

Gene Riemenschneider

Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA

Turning Houses into Homes

Super post Holly. I caught this on Than Maynard's reblog. Have a great day.

May 29, 2014 08:30 AM

Kat Palmiotti

eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT

Helping your Montana dreams take root

Oh my, we spend a lot of time justifying why what we are saying is different than what those sites are saying. It can be exhausting!

May 29, 2014 08:57 AM

Donna Foerster

HomeSmart Realty Group - Parker, CO

Metro Denver Real Estate Assistant

Oh Holly, this is SO frustrating. We are working with some first time buyers currently. We've given them a tool to search our MLS, however her Mom keeps looking at Zillow and doesn't understand why so many of the homes are not available. Great public post!

Jun 04, 2014 10:43 PM