SendMeNewListings.com is a way for the consumer to receive automatic updates when a new listing comes on the market that matches their criteria. Is it for you? That depends. If you are “just looking” for now, registering under “VIP Saved Search” on the left side of the “Advance Search” page is a great idea, but if you are a serious, “I’m going to find a house to buy in the next 30 days” type of buyer, maybe not.
An online search tool is fun for looking and shopping, but terrible for buying. Any MLS internet data exchange (IDX) site is limited both in the level of detailed information contained, AND in the speed at which that information is made available to you.
Listings are NOT added to IDX sites in real time–if you see a ‘hot’ listing on an IDX site, it may already be under contract. Not ALL listings are published on IDX sites–for whatever reason, a seller or broker can withhold a listing from external sites.
Much of the information necessary to make a decision to seriously consider a property is unavailable via IDX. Your agent needs to search the ACTUAL MLS database to discover property history, pricing history, previous sales and many other factors that will affect the price you will want to offer.
How do you overcome this?
Simple. Do your preliminary viewing online in the comfort and convenience of your own home….but when you get serious about finding and buying the right property for you, contact one of our agents. When you do, make certain that you ask them to run a full, updated search for your property type. Serious buyers are pre-qualified with a lender, working with a buyer’s agent, and searching the MLS. As wonderful as we believe our IDX searchable database to be, it is NOT the complete MLS. Enjoy the search, but remember it has limitations.