Residential Real Estate Listings

Utilize online real estate listings to locate a personal residence or investment property
By Amy Jo Garner, Consultant You can use the Internet to easily find homes for sale. Many websites dedicate themselves to providing consumers with access to the various Multiple Listing Services (MLS) maintained by real estate associations nationwide. In addition, potential homeowners and investors can quickly search listings of foreclosed properties.

The challenge lies not in finding websites dedicated to real estate listings, but in knowing which ones provide the most data and functionality. Privacy is also an issue; you don't want to have to provide personal information just to view a site's residential listings. You can streamline your search by concentrating on:

1. The types of residential real estate listings you're interested in.
2. Listing services that do more than provide a residential real estate listing.
3. Sales agents and brokers with experience in the market where you want to buy.

Search all MLS properties in one place

Instead of logging in to the websites for each real association in the country, you can use the Internet to view all those residential real estate listings from one site
Try:  The official website of the National Asssociation of Realtors (NAR) remains the largest source of MLS residential listings; all NAR member listings are included. Unlike many third-party or real estate brokerage sponsored websites, you're not required to provide any personal information before searching and viewing the listings.

Locate homes for sale by owner

The "For Sale by Owner" (FSBO) market no longer relies solely on yard signs and classified ads to advertise homes for sale. Once hard to find, FSBO listing sites make these properties just as visible as those listed with real estate brokers.
Try:  Owners.com manages one of the most complete listings of FSBO properties. Another popular website is FSBO.com.

Save money buying foreclosed homes

You can often purchase these properties for less than their appraised value, so putting forth the effort to locate them is worthwhile. Just be smart and don't do business with companies that want you to pay for a list. Real estate sales professionals in your community won't charge you to help you find bank-owned properties that may not be listed online.
Try:  Locate your state on the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website to find HUD homes in your area, or visit the BidSelect website for listings by state. Veteran's Administration foreclosed properties are listed by Ocwen. Also, try the Free Foreclosure Listing site to find foreclosed properties in your state.

Buyers should find the best residential real estate agent to help them

Instead of calling 20 different real estate sales agents to ask about a residential real estate listing, find one good agent who can work with you to find exactly what you want.
Try:  AgentEvaluator.com is a free, anonymous service that allows you to compare real estate professionals. The agents send you customized proposals of their services, but have no way of calling or emailing you directly.

Explore rental homes online

Even though online rental listings are not as comprehensive as homes for sale, use the Internet to find a house to rent if you're not ready to buy.
Try:  RentalHouses.com list homes for rent and rent-to-own homes. The site is most functional if you click on your state and then select the community where you want to rent a home.

• Although real estate agents can provide you with lists of residential real estate for sale, don't leave it up to them. The perfect property may turn out to be one that your agent didn't think you'd be interested in.
• The real estate market changes quickly. The homes for sale you see online today may have sold yesterday.