In the initial stages of looking for my first house. Been using www.Realtor.com, www.zillow.com, and http://www.listingbook.com/ to find potential properties. Since I’m really only in the research (lookyloo) phase of my search, I don’t have a local agent seriously beating the bushes yet. For the time being, I’m using the internet as my primary search tool.

But I have a feeling I’m missing some properties or seeing them days after they come on the market.

What is the best website for searching for new listings? Should I be looking on my local agents’ sites? Or are all listings picked up on the national sites?

In general, can someone explain the process by which a residential property that is for sale, finds its way onto the net?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Yes you need to find a local agent that has a public MLS search, we sometimes call it IDX in the business. Some MLS do not allow this. But without a doubt, unless you have a Realtor working for you searching you will miss some properties. But since you are only looking for now, that is OK. Once you get serious, you need to decide on one Realtor to help you.

The general process for a listing finding its way onto the web is my MLS will submit it via a syndication service to many websites. I submit it to many others to ensure the lookyloos come to my site to look. Some of it is syndication, some is due to work done by the Realtor.

Thanks for the info Mark,

But can someone suggest a good public site that lists properties for sale?

Zillow has lots of info, but they seem to be slower to pickup and drop listings.

I wouldn't be looking at properties now. I would be saving downpayment,reviewing credit from 3 agencies for errors,and get my pre-approval not qualification letter.

Looking at hot properties now is a waste of time as they will be under contract and long gone before you are ready to buy.

If your just looking for fun REALTOR.com is fine. The other sites will be bugging you and you said your not ready yet.

Try homes.com

Thanks Ducky.
Homes.com has nice (vague but useful) info on foreclosures in my area. Interesting that using the same search criteria on Realtor.com and Homes.com nets significantly different results.

Homes.com has info that is sometimes dated. I get phone calls on properties that closed months ago from people searching on Homes.

And what Super said is really the truth, you need to determine your budget and more importantly what you can be approved for before starting to look. You could be wasting your time.

Thanks Mark and Super R,

While my question has realy nothing to do with establishing a budget, qualifying for a loan, or saving for a down payment, your input on the topic at hand has been somewhat helpful.

It might be thrilling and fun to look at all the homes you could buy if you had an infinite budget but that is pure fantasy.

Credit issues take months sometimes years to resolve. In these markets you have to have higher credit scores and more down to qualify than even a few months ago to be able to buy these great deals.

I have poeple all the time tell me. I pay my bills on time so my credit is great! No need to check it. To which I always find out they are only checking one agency online and not all three plus the online report is different than a lender credit scoring model to buy a home.

Even if you pay on time it is a fact that 80 percent of credit reports have errors on them costing buyers money in terms of qualifying and interest rates. Even if incorrect they take months to get off unless you do a rapid rescore which costs tons of money.

This is to all the buyers out there don't put the cart before the horse. If you are pro-active and do everything BEFORE looking you will be ahead of 80 percent of the buyers out there and will most likley win the deal because you have taken care of business ahead of time.

realtor.com
Clay Branyon
North Beach Realty
www.northmyrtlebeachrealestatesales.com

You might try trulia as well. I don't ever recommend realtor.com as even that is somewhat slow and some listings won't have good information if that listing agent isn't wasting money on the showcased listings. I agree with Mark Brian about finding a website with IDX. Typically these are run by agents. Remax allows you to search the MLS through their IDX search. also. But most IDX sites have some sort of registration before you can view properties. So you will get e-mail from agents. You also might just do a search for your areas MLS system. The MLS system I use has a public search site as well. This site is much better then realtor.com

Also to answer your question about how properties find their way on the web. For most agents this depends on how well their MLS system markets the listings on it. Most MLS systems put them on realtor.com and some allow this IDX search. Others like the one I use automatically post to listhub.com which in turn puts the listings on zillow, trulia, and other such sites. This submission can sometimes take a few days. Then there are the above average agents that will put their own listings on craigslist and their own sites. Also so you know there are some agents that don't allow listings to be submitted to all these websites, but just on the MLS.

So for right now just searching the internet is fine, but when you get serious about buying and you are ready to make an offer find an agent that knows how to set up a search for you directly from the MLS system that will send you listings as they hit the market. Make sure the agent you choose knows how to do this. Believe me their are agents out there that don't know.

My wife loves searching Coldwell Banker.com Thats not even my brokerage but she loves it. She did have to sign up for a profile and on occasion she will get an email from the brokerage, but not very often.

For the ease of use for a consumer I admit that Coldwell Bankers website is alot better than the Re/Max site especially for property searches.

Interesting thread, the takes on the big listing site are very interesting.

Does anyone have any tips on locating foreclosures type listings. I am very hesitant to use pay sites and wonder if there are legit alternatives. Are there any sites that provide real info on these listings or is going to your local banks or reviewing public records the only way to know whats in your area and what is really owed?

"Are there any sites that provide real info on these listings or is going to your local banks or reviewing public records the only way to know whats in your area and what is really owed?"

1.Determine what type of buyer you are. Future homeowner,investor to flip,investor to hold for rental cash flow,investor to buy a change use property for upside potential.

2.Are you using financing or CASH. If CASH you can get a steeper discount buying properties that do not qualify for regular home loans.

3.Banks and public records is a waste of time. Banks will list with an REO broker who from the time of foreclosure will get the tenants out,re-key,and trash-out the property making it ready for sale.When it is ready to list for sale they will put in the mls within 24 hrs. The banks make money in the finance business funding loans not selling houses so they don't want to talk with you.

Most REO brokers are busy representing the banks with property reports,upkeep,etc.

For pre-foreclosures not everyone is going to want to sell or talk to you.

Find a good broker in your area to work with. They are free to you and possess the knowledge to get you the property first and beat out the other buyers. The paid lists are a joke and most of the properties have sold,are under contract,or have filed bankruptcy and are no longer available.

I don't think those are ways either.

Banks aren't going to reveal to you what is owned to them.

The Complaint of Foreclosure will reveal what is owned to the entity filing the Complaint (as of a certain point in time).

What is owed to other Creditors, or to the Taxing Authority, is left for you to dig up yourself. That may be why God invented Attorneys ?

Even IF one did obtain perfect knowledge about "WHAT" is owed . . . . it doesn't mean anything ! What matters is how much money the party who controls the Collateral will exchange it for. It boils down to how much it is worth to you.