When you start your home search many start on the web. A quick Google search will generate 1000s of homes for sale in your location. If you discover a home that you like on a real estate website you can almost always see the photos online.
It is even becoming more common to take a virtual tour or see a video tour of the house. If you have bought a home prior to finding out the value of the home is not too difficult. You can inquire 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 comparable specification and can tell you with great accuracy what this house should sell for. While the simplicity of the internet is suitable and useful frequently you can be lead astray. The amount of details and strain of verifying its precision is a barrier most would prefer a professional to deal with. With so many resources to use online a home buyer will get overwhelmed with data that is often incomplete.
Even from the most trusted websites the data is often outdated within days. Real estate agents must obtain a license in every state. A licensed real estate agent has access to data that regular home buyers do not. The most up to date information on every house in their area. This information the real estate agents use has to be maintained up to date by all partaking agents and brokers or they will be fined. frequently they have real estate information that has not even been published yet. This frequently happens inside of big brokerages where many agents work together to make sure their buyers get the best houses in their area.
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 be contingent on on the population of those areas. The first 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 web. Although there is no need of third party sites to keep their data updated and accurate for many situations for-sale-by-owner (FSBO) properties cannot be directly added to an MLS because the owners is not a participating member of the local Realtor association.
FSBO properties can be tough to find although internet savvy FSBO homes are able to get the word out about their property 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 member of the National Association of Realtors. Realtors have to comply with a strict code of ethics and conduct. Many real estate agents now have their own websites with their area MLS information shown. Along with non-real estate sites that provide data on FSBO foreclosure sites county assessor sites and valuation and marketing information websites. The excess of real estate information on the web makes sifting through and properly figuring out more difficult than ever before. Regardless the flood of real estate data available many properties are still sold 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 data existing it can be tricky to pick the best real estate agent for you. Many agents specialize in a type of sale or in specific demographic. Choosing the one that best fits your requirements will allow for a easier 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.