You’re finally at the fun part—time to start searching for your dream home. The internet is a good place to start. According to a National Association of Realtors® survey, 42 percent of buyers started their home search online. In the past, the real estate industry relied solely on mail, local advertising, and agents to get the word out about sales, but today, you have thousands of home all over the world at your fingertips.
Online Tools
An online real estate search portal like Movoto is a good place to start your home search. Start by searching for ZIP codes or city names, then narrow your search using the filters to show results only within your budget that meet your criteria.
Standard Search Criteria
Most online searches allow you to filter results by the following criteria:
- Location (distance to location)
- Min/max price
- Min/max bedrooms
- Min/max bathrooms
What is an MLS?
For a buyer, an MLS is a database where agents can list properties for sale. For agents, it also offers a suite of agent tools and a network where they can compare listings, market properties for sale to other agents, research markets, and share commission rates. Access to the MLS is restricted to membership, usually to licensed agents, but the listing information is public and disseminated by real estate search websites.
There are several different MLSs, broken down by location. For example, the San Francisco Association of Realtors® (SFAR) MLS, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) MLS, and the Northeast Ohio Real Estate Exchange (NEOHREX) MLS.
Because only brokers can enter listings into the MLS, they typically don’t allow For Sale by Owner (FSBO) listings. But homeowners who are trying to sell their property without an agent have the option in certain markets to play a flat fee to list.
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