Real Estate Agents
When you start your home search most start on the web. A quick Google search will produce 1000s of homes for sale in your area. If you find a house that you desire on a real estate site you can almost always see the images online.
It is even becoming more common to take a virtual tour or see a video tour of the home. If you have bought a home before to finding out the worth of the house is not too difficult. You can check what the current owner bought it for check the real estate taxes or have an knowledgeable real estate agent run comparables. Basically they compare what has sold in that community that is of similar specification and can tell you with great accuracy what this home should sell for. While the simplicity of the internet is suitable and useful frequently you can be lead off target. The amount of information and strain of verifying its accuracy is a barrier many would prefer a professional to handle. With so many resources to use online a home buyer will get overwhelmed with information that is often bad.
Even from the most respected websites the information is often outdated within days. Real estate agents must secure a license in every state. A licensed real estate agent has access to data that normal people do not. The most accurate data on every property in their area. This database the real estate agents use must be kept up to date by all participating agents and brokers or they will be fined. frequently they have real estate information that has not even been submitted yet. This frequently happens inside of big brokerages where many agents work together to make sure their buyers get the best properties available.
The database that real estate agents use is called the Multiple Listing Service or MLS for short. Every place in the United States has an MLS. While some MLSs cover more or less area depending on the population of those areas. The primary purpose of an MLS is to allow participating real estate agents to make offers on homes to other agents when they find a buyer. The MLS home information is often available through other websites on the internet. Although there is no requirement of third party sites to keep their data updated and accurate for most situations for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) properties cannot be directly uploaded to an MLS because the owners is not a paying member of the local Realtor association.
FSBO houses can be difficult to find although web savvy FSBO properties are able to get the word out on their home today.
What is a Realtor? Oftentimes real estate agent and realtor are used interchangeably. However they are not really the same. A Realtor is a licensed real estate agent who is also a subscriber of the National Association of Realtors. Realtors are required to comply with a strict code of ethics and conduct. Many real estate agents now have their own websites with their local MLS information shown. Along with non-real estate sites that provide information on FSBO foreclosure sites county assessor sites and valuation and marketing information websites. The abundance of real estate data on the internet makes sorting through and properly understanding more difficult than ever. Regardless the flood of real estate information available many houses are still purchased through real estate agents listings on the MLS. With the rise of the internet the properties listed on the MLS are there for all to see. Gone are the days of print advertising. With so much real estate information available it can be difficult to pick the best real estate agent for you. Most agents specialize in a type of home or in specific client. Picking the one that best fits your requirements will allow for a smoother home buying experience than with a real estate agent that you don’t get along with. All established agents will have reviews available online for you to look through as well.