Guide to Self Searching the MLS

The majority of homes available to buyers in SW Illinois are offered through the realty community .... through the Multiple Listing Service, (87% in our communities.) For decades, the MLS has been benefiting consumers by offering seller listings to the entire realty community... it has been an extremely successful consumer-oriented tool.

But the real estate profession held the keys. In recent years, national Web sites have begun aggregating listings for consumer use, and Home Buyers Relo has been assisting its clients in using these sites, long before buyers came to town or entered the market....a step in the right direction but often lacking timeliness, detail and simplicity.

But now, this ultimate tool! access the entire database of available homes in SW Illinois ...in real time…in one easy-to-use location. You'll be viewing exactly the same data base that we use. The data is now an open commodity.

It's a whole new way to buy a home! It's a new kind of partnership between you and the realty agent. You contribute enormously to the locate function, viewing actual candidates for your power search, and gaining an understanding of the market! And besides being important, we're told it's fun.

The agent plays an active, indispensable role in the process however…in helping to evaluate candidates found. In a process started weeks or more before the visit, the location and setting, the community context and much more can best be evaluated through local, experienced eyes.

Also, in a so-called "tight market" situation, buyers sometimes must wait on inventory to be listed..., so monitoring new listings frequently becomes a necessity. Phone lines and email lines are hot during this period as buyers and agents connect in a new kind of partnership.

Remember these basic points:

Of all of the listings you'll view, NONE will be Home Relo's listings; because the company policy is to serve only buyers, never sellers. Consider those enormous advantages, recited here and elsewhere.

Every single available home will be here. You won't need to jump from company to company to find them all.

And none will be "preferred", implying it's the company's own listings. Every listing will be evaluated in absolute objectivity.

When you want additional information on ANY of these listings, or want to see them, regardless of the listing company, please give us a call. Remember, calling the listing agent or agency connects you with an agent and an agent promising to support the seller's interests, not yours. We'll give you absolutely objective advice about the neighborhoods, resaleability and other important information.

While the information here is "real time".. .the same as that we use... remember that the market is constantly in flux. . . and that some of these homes will be under contract, with records not yet updated by the listing agency. Only "active and available" homes will be shown here. (We have ways for mining MLS data for expireds, off the markets, canceled, etc., too.)

We, (and you), may also need to adjust your criteria from time to time. Minor tweaks could help us zero in on the one "perfect" home. See "HOMEWORK" to learn of our "targeting" method for providing "best chance" matches of your needs.)

When you get to town, non listed sources of property will be searched to add to the options you can consider. . . .new builds and non-listed pre owned homes. (See our "HOMEWORK" series for these relationships.)

The detail that you'll access is exactly the detail that we get from the MLS, too, so it's complete ... and if you're local and want to do drive-bys, you'll have the addresses.

But this warning ... just ahead of the "Ready To Search" link taking you to the search engine, there's a link titled "Tips For Using". Please review that too, just once, or some of the quirks of the search program will frustrate you badly!

To get us involved with the evaluation process, simply call, or email, and we'll assign a person to serve as your "partner", before and after you get to town.

The services offered here are free, and you're absolutely under no obligation. Our service is designed first to serve you, but secondly, it's intended to ultimately help us earn the opportunity to assist you with your real estate needs when the time is right.

But that's still not all... You can do these self-searches at your convenience, but by simply registering with us (first name and email address), you can receive a notice of new listings matching your criteria, whenever they come onto the market. Automatically! (No registration of any kind is required for the basic MLS "Search the Market".)

Subscribe to our Daily E-mail Updates:

Make your Home Search easy, simply tell us what kind of property your looking for and we'll E-mail you up dates of new listings that match your requirements. It's an automated process; we'll set it up on our own computers. We have no form for this ... but in your email, give us the basics ... communities, price window, # of bedrooms, bathrooms and garages, maximum age ... pretty much what you used as criteria on the "Self Search" above. All we need is your email address, (which we can capture), and maybe at least a first name would be nice ... at least to start with.)

Privacy Policy:
The information you provide to us will be held in the strictest of confidence. We do NOT sell our lists or share your confidential information with other vendors.

Thank you for your trust.

Rental Information:

About Rentals In The Area

When you're searching for rental property in the area, we have this good news/bad news scenario:

The good news is that the area has more rentals than most, (especially rental homes), because of the military presence here. The bad news, is that it's a very active rental market, and on many occasions, still "tight", and expensive.

Our office does not manage rentals directly, but as you'll see, there are many others that do, so you'll have adequate access. (If we worked in the rental business at all, the parallel would have us represent the tenant, not the landlord).

Whether relocating families are buyers or renters, the resources are the same. But as we always view transactions from the buyer's side, our attitude is also the same.... we're anxious to serve transferees to the max...renters as well as buyers.

The rental management companies are a prime resource. Some are pure management companies. Others are realty companies with rental divisions. They manage single family homes, apartments , townhomes and duplexes. They will usually physically tour and show the properties or direct you to on-site managers.

If you do find rental rates and availabilities competitive with ownership and want to consider purchasing as an option, we'd be pleased to help with that evaluation, without obligation. We have materials describing the benefits of each mode, and a simple worksheet (printed and on a disc), to help define the differences.

In this event, we would try hard to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks, supporting the wisest possible decisions with the tool of exclusive representation.

Consider this offer: Realizing that finding an appropriate home is often daunting, and that organized rental resources are scarce, we have this additional suggestion: our office is always available, free of charge, to use as a base in your search. We'll provide a desk, a phone, maps and whatever advice we can, all free.

And....we would add cokes and coffee to that, too, and the use of our fax, copier and even a computer if you want to check your email before you get permanently settled. You can also play with, Velcro, if you get homesick for your own pet, and he's available to go out and play for an hour or two, but no sleepovers, please.

Need more Information?

• See the rental resource section in our "Library"

• Request "How To Compare Ownership With Renting" ...
  rentalcomparisons@ofallonhomes.com

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