Via Mike Giles (Keller Williams Realty):
Use A Free Listing Update Service Whether you are buying or selling, a listing update service will help you to keep your eye on your local market. This is a service that most Realtors can provide to you and normally it is a free service. How it works:
- Set up your Home Profile: create a profile including specific details such as # of bedrooms, lot size, price range, desired cities/towns etc...
- Receive your initial list of homes: Receive an e-mail with all current listings that match your profile , (TIP: The more specific the profile the fewer homes you will have to weed through, you can always widen the search later)
- Receive update e-mail every day: each morning as you log on to your e-mail account you will have one e-mail alerting you to any new listings or any changes to listings that have already appeared on your list.
Benefits:
- Stay ahead of the competition: Learn about listings as they come on giving you a chance to get in before others looking for the same type of listing
- Only look at current listings: Most of the large listing sites rely on the agents to post their listings and mark them as sold once they are no longer on the market. The Realtor's service is drawn directly from the MLS and assures you that you are getting all current listings and none that have already been put under agreement or sold.
- Request Showings: Stop chasing open house signs and simply hit the request showing button on any property of interest. This will allow the Realtor to set up a private showing at a time that fits your schedule.
Even in a slow market if a property comes on that is priced properly and has desirable features and location, you can miss out by finding it too late. If you are interested in properties in Massachusetts you can set your profile at MY FREE LISTING UPDATE SERVICE Otherwise, find a local Realtor that has the ability to provide this service and start looking at relevant properties that are still for sale.
