If you are planning to buy a home in North Scottsdale soon, you might have been checking popular sites like Zillow to look for homes for sale. While that type of site is fine for getting to know the kind of house that may be in your budget, it’s not the best way to find your next house. If you want a more accurate, up-to-date option, you need to start checking a Multiple Listing Service, or MLS, with a qualified Realtor (only real estate agents have access to start and update searches on the MLS).
Here’s what it is and how it can help you find your dream home in North Scottsdale.
What is the MLS?
A multiple listing service consists of numerous databases where real estate brokers share their listings with each other. This tool offers a way to consolidate dozens of properties that are on the market, since several brokers in the area add their properties to the MLS in order to help their clients sell their houses-us included.
To get access to the MLS, you have to request the log-in information from a real estate agent. If you have already started working with a real estate agent to help you buy a home in North Scottsdale, he or she will give you access to your own MLS portal. But even if you are not quite ready to hire an agent, you can still get access to MLS by simply letting a local agent know you are interested at looking at homes for sale in North Scottsdale. He or she can then set up a portal with listings you might be interested in. This is a service we provide to clients for free through the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, or ARMLS.
What Are the Benefits of Using an MLS?
The main benefit of using the MLS as a buyer is that you have access to multiple homes that meet your criteria. You just have to let your real estate agent know what features you are looking for in a home, and you will be able to see the MLS listings that match your parameters. For example, if you want a 2-story home in North Scottsdale, your agent can set up a search for you in the MLS so you only see 2-story homes for sale.
Another benefit that is unique to the MLS is that you’ll see the most updated results, which means you’ll likely see new listings every day. By contrast, sites like Zillow often show homes that are already under contract and are therefore no longer available as active, thus wasting your time as you look for your dream Scottsdale home.
For example, Zillow often lists UCBs as still purely active, when in fact these are homes that are already under contract with a buyer but are still accepting backup offers until all contingencies are removed from the property for sale. This means you might fall in love with a house that Zillow lists for sale, not knowing it’s already under contract. Using the MLS can help you avoid this situation.
Additionally, the typical listing on MLS can let you know how much you will pay when it comes to real estate taxes and HOA fees.
If you are interested in checking out the MLS with your search criteria before you buy a home in North Scottsdale, contact The Matheson Team today for help signing up. We would be happy to assist you in finding your perfect house.
Don Matheson
Realtor | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Properties
21000 N. Pima Rd., #100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-360-0281
don@scottsdalerealestate.com
