How to Find Details on MLS Real Estate Listings
An MLS, or multiple listing service, organizes and publishes real estate listings from its paying members and brokerage companies. MLS members work cooperatively to match buyers and sellers and facilitate a smooth transaction while providing fiduciary duties to their clients. The listings are now available through various websites that access direct feeds from MLS sites, providing information directly to the consumer. Basic information is provided within the listing such as the location of the home and facts about square footage and the interior of the home. Additional details may be accessed through an MLS member or other websites.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Locate a website that receives direct listing feeds from an MLS. Some popular sites include Realtor.com with more than three million listings, zillow.com with listings and general home facts and coldwellbanker.com, an international real estate company that features MLS listings.
-
2
Enter the desired search criteria to locate homes, such as street address, city, zip code or price range. Once homes are identified, basic facts should appear such as property type, status, bedrooms, bathrooms, price, living area and lot size.
-
-
3
Click on a link called "more info." Additional details should become available such as the address, year built, school district, taxes and the agent's description of the home, as well as photographs of the home. Contact information for the listing agent may also be available, providing a source of additional details on the home.
-
4
Identify additional information desired that is not found on the MLS listing and consult other sources for answers. Sources may include county or local government websites, local real estate offices or websites, or visit zillow.com.
-
5
Visit a county website to access information on past recorded sale amounts, tax assessed values and additional physical characteristics. Parcel maps may also be viewed at county websites if the size or shape of the property is a desired detail.
-
6
Contact a local real estate agent to find out information not published on MLS listings such as length of time on market or sales history without obligation. Because real estate agents are members of the MLS, they have direct access to all of the details of any listed property, regardless of the office with which it is listed.
-
7
Visit zillow.com to see whether details not previously found may be available. Zillow.com compiles data on comparable sales in the neighborhood and offers "zestimates" of home values based on area sales.
-
8
View live satellite feeds of properties on google.com. Images may be accessed of the home from a bird's eye view or from the side perspective. Neighboring properties may also be viewed to learn details of the area where the home is located.
-
1
