mls: Modernizing the MLS for the 21st century
- 01/22/09 08:34 AM
The multiple listing service a/k/a MLS used by the local Realtor (r) associations has been a fabulous marketing tool for decades now. My local MLS is the Mid-Florida Regional MLS which covers some 9 counties in Central and West Florida and parts of 2 other counties. These counties are home to some 16 different boards of Realtors (r) each of which is an owner or a member of the MFRMLS. Are you confused yet???
When I first became a Realtor (r) in the early 1990's, each of these 16 Realtor (r) associations had their own separate MLS which they did not share with their … (19 comments)
mls: To get a license or not get a license, that is the question
- 01/05/08 04:19 AM
I have probably had at least a hundred people ask me whether or not they should get a real estate license in order to invest in real estate. There is no quick and easy answer to this question. The answer really depends on what you plan to do in your investment career. (Registered Trademark of NAR) A real estate license is typically for someone who wants to work with other people to help them buy, sell, or lease their real estate. That is what a traditional real estate licensee (the legal term in Florida is "sales associate") does. Most investors are not … (3 comments)
mls: October 2007 MLS Statistics for Orange & Seminole County Florida
- 11/09/07 02:02 AM
The latest MLS statistics for Orange & Seminole County Florida are out for the month ending October 2007. Here is a direct link to the statistics. The inventory statistics continue to show a flattening off trend. Inventory has continued to hover around 26,000 listings now for the 5th month in a row. This is a good sign. Just about everybody that bought during the run-up of 2004 and 2005 that wanted to sell has either sold, rented, or made some sort of decision regarding their property by now. Of course they also might also be in foreclosure right now :-( . Closed … (2 comments)
mls: Expansion of Mid Florida MLS
- 11/01/07 02:44 AM
I have stated before just how powerful a marketing tool the local MLS has become. The Mid-Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service which our firm is a member of is expanding some more. 5 Realtor Associations in Southwest Florida are joining in with Mid Florida MLS in 2008. This is certainly good news for everyone involved and allows firms like ours to expand our MLS flat fee listing service to these other counties without the ridiculous overhead of fees to these small Realtor boards. Here is a link to the E-newsletter regarding this expansion. You can note that the Realtor association leaders in Venice … (6 comments)
mls: What to look for with a flat fee MLS broker
- 10/27/07 04:05 AM
Flat fee MLS, discount MLS, MLS-only listing, whatever you want to call it, it is the process for consumers to list their property into the local MLS and the related internet sites like Realtor.com for a few hundred dollars with the consumer doing the bulk of the work. This sort of listing also offers the buyer's agent a commission of 2-3% or more if they procure a buyer for the property. I wrote a detailed explanation about this in a previous blog entitled A word about flat fee MLS listings . This blog is a follow up article. I want to describe things to look for in … (7 comments)
mls: September MLS Statistics Orange & Seminole County Florida
- 10/11/07 07:38 AM
The latest MLS market statistics are out for the month ending September 2007. The inventory of listings appears to be flattening off. The number of homes on the market has been hovering around 25-26,000 ever since late Spring. This is a good indication that the Orlando market is close to bottoming out. Again, by bottoming out I don't many it is recovering and everything is rosy again. Bottoming out to me means that inventory levels flatten off and the market gradually starts working itself back to a state of normalcy. The somewhat frightening (even jaw dropping numbers) are (1) the New Contracts (properties that went sale … (0 comments)
mls: Tips on selling in a buyer's market
- 09/27/07 01:12 PM
I originally posted this article on our company website in July 2007. According to the Mid-Florida Regional MLS statistics, in month ending June 2007 in Orange & Seminole Counties there was only 1 sale for about every 18 properties on the market (1,431 sales closed vs. 25,923 listing inventory), so in order to sell you need to make your house stand out in a big way. These are general suggestions for helping to sell your property: 1. Price it right - below market value preferably. We typically recommend 5-10% under the other active listings nearby. For condominiums, townhouses, properties in outlying … (4 comments)
mls: Good deals abound
- 09/20/07 03:32 AM
With the market as tough as it is for sellers right now, it is a great time to buy if you have a good exit strategy in place. We just closed on a block house yesterday in a nice area of College Park in Orlando. It was listed in the MLS for 249K. It was a probate situation and the heirs were fighting between each other. The house does need some updating, a roof, and has some serious termite damage but otherwise appears to be pretty solid. There are plenty of comparable sales around it for the 249K price, but the … (0 comments)
mls: Central Florida property taxes
- 09/13/07 08:15 AM
Earlier this week I had called in to the Orange County Property Appraiser's office to contest the value on one of my rental properties. An appraiser called me back this morning. He told me the addresses of the comps he could pull up. To me they were not really good comps. One was a wood frame 2-story building and mine is a block 1-story. I gave him a few of the comps that I had found in the MLS. He also asked me a few questions about my property. I was able to get the just value reduced by almost $21,000. That amounts to about $400 in … (0 comments)
mls: July MLS statistics (originally posted 8/12/07)
- 09/01/07 09:27 AM
The market continues to slow down according to the July 2007 MLS statistics for Orange/Seminole Counties. The number of active listings appears to have flattened out in July at 26,018. However, this leveling off of inventory is not because more properties are selling. Instead it is because there are fewer new listings and more current listings are expiring or being withdrawn. In fact expireds and withdrawns have increased by 16% since July 2006 while sold listings have decreased by 43% during the same period. Unfortunately now is not the time to be selling unless you absolutely have to. While this is … (0 comments)
mls: June MLS statistics & property tax legislation (originally posted 7/22/07)
- 09/01/07 09:23 AM
According to the latest MLS statistics for Orange and Seminole Counties for the month of June 2007, there are 25,923 active listings for sale but only 1,431 listings sold during that month. Or to put it more bluntly only 1 out of every 18 listed properties actually made it to a closing. In light of this huge disparity between sold and actives, our firm has created a webpage to provide selling tips to our customers. There are a lot of great ideas to glean from the selling tips page, so please read it through when you get a chance. If you … (2 comments)
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Rob Arnold
Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F
My thoughts on the real estate industry, real estate investing, rental properties, mortgages, listing houses in the MLS, government and legislative issues affecting real estate brokers and investors. Serving metro Orlando & most of Florida.
Rob Arnold - ABR, CPL, CRB, GRI, PHP - Managing real estate broker, Notary Public
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational, entertainment, and yes blatant advertising purposes. Read it at your own risk and enjoyment :-) It is not meant to be construed as legal or financial advice. These are my personal views and opinions only. Regarding any properties advertised on this blog site - all information is deemed reliable but is not warranted nor guaranteed - price, terms, and availability are subject to change without notice.
The multiple listing service a/k/a MLS used by the local Realtor (r) associations has been a fabulous marketing tool for decades now. My local MLS is the Mid-Florida Regional MLS which covers some 9 counties in Central and West Florida and parts of 2 other counties. These counties are home to some 16 different boards of Realtors (r) each of which is an owner or a member of the MFRMLS. Are you confused yet???
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