What is MLS?

My neighbor across the street told me I did not need to send her MLS listings because she could access them online.

For a moment, I wondered if maybe she was a licensed as a real estate agent or maybe as an appraiser. But no, turns out she thought she could find online listings through the Sacramento Bee.

She doesn't get every new listing the minute it goes live on MLS. Moreover, she doesn’t receive all the information, and the part that she does receive isn’t the whole story.

And that’s the problem with many listings that buyers find online. Sometimes they are outdated; sometimes the homes are already sold, and sometimes those homes were never for sale at all.

Home buyers who want up-to-date information need to get it from a MLS member — generally a real estate agent — who can set up the buyer on automated searches directly from MLS. Real-time information is what propels the world today. Don’t settle for yesterday’s news. Buying a home is hard enough. You need accurate data . . . read more about MLS.

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub:

• Home Buying Guide to Getting Started
  
• How to Order a Free Credit Report & Get FICO Scores
  
• Finding a Real Estate Agent

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Technorati tag: multiple listing MLS