What is Happening with Those Lawsuits? I am getting asked about this from clients, want-to-be clients, and friends at social occasions. For those who don’t know about these lawsuits, there was a verdict in October in a Missouri court that went against the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and some big real estate companies. Then,
Real estate sites like Zillow use the data from local Multiple Listing Services (MLS), and then add additional properties for sale by people who are not using the MLS. If you are looking at Zillow, all the properties read, “(type of property) for sale.” That works. However, you then need to click on the property
Good information helps buyers make informed decisions. Widely available information levels the playing field, so that all buyers have access to the vast majority of properties for sale. Recent lawsuits against Multiple Listing Systems and large real estate companies threaten to harm potential home buyers by expecting them to pay for their representation as well
I’ve gotten some messages from former clients who follow business news. There are some big-deal lawsuits flying around regarding the Multiple Listing Service and buyer agent compensation. The outcome of recent lawsuits is likely to increase seller awareness of the part of the commission that is paid to the buyer’s agent who brings an informed
What should you look for as an indication that the seller’s market is on the decline? How can you watch for a turn in uneven supply and demand balance in favor of buyers? As exclusive buyer’s agents, we’ve seen this before. But, because we are a small company who work with a small number of
Here’s a quick primer on how to read the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and alternate real estate listing sites. Most of my clients “web around” to sites like Trulia and Zillow to look at images of properties for sale. We create customized searches with our database, but the raw data is out there for everyone
Here’s a quick primer on house hunting on line. Our clients get a customized search in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). That is the primary database, which shares property information with consumer sites, like Zillow. Our searches aim to be specific. The raw data is out there, so some of our clients enjoy seeing it all.
The most common mistake that consumers make when setting up an MLS search is to limit their search too much or too little. The ideal search yields properties that are closer and closer to the goal. Bad searches yield either too few options or properties that don’t work, in the same way, over and over.